Trends in Biosciences 11(12), Print : ISSN 0974-8431, 2319-2341, 2018 Availability Status, Habit and Habitat of Some Important Medicinal Plants of West Bengal, India RAJENDRA YONZONE* AND SAMUEL RAI Directorate of Cinchona and Other Medicinal Plants, P.O. Mungpoo, District Darjeeling, West Bengal *email: [email protected] ABSTRACT rivers in the state. West Bengal has a monsoon type of The present study provided baseline data on availability climate. But due to differences regarding physical features and other factors the climate of West Bengal may be divided status, habit and habitat of some important Medicinal Plants of West Bengal, India. Some species are threatened into three divisions viz., i. The mountainous region of the and endangered in their natural habitat owing to north, ii. The western part of West Bengal and iii. The plains multifarious anthropogenic activities and natural of West Bengal. Northern part of state the hills and foothills calamities. A total of 604 plant species was recorded. Out have a dense vegetation of evergreen and deciduous types of these, 45 species were common, 82 species were found and continuation of the terai forest region and the areas is as frequent, 265 species were sparse and 142 species were known as Bengal duars in Jalpaiguri district. Mangrove is the most important trees of the southern coastal region of cultivated, 57 species were rare and 4 species were threatened and 9 species were endangered. The maximum the Bay of Bengal and Sundarban and in the western part number was herbs i.e., 265 species and this was followed of the country, Shorea robusta trees predominate and forest by tree 167, shrubs 117, sub shrubs 26 and climber 29 with deciduous trees. Rice is the main crop and Jute species. Maximum species i.e., 587 are found in terrestrial cultivation has increased gradually. Other like Pulses, Sugarcane, Tobacco, Oilseeds, Banana, Pineapple, habitat and 15 species are epiphytic and the rest 2 species are found in marshy habitat. List of all the species Cocoanut etc. are important crops. In the northern hilly arranged alphabetically and some photographs are region Cinchona and Tea are extensively cultivated. presented in this paper. Mulberry is important in Malda and Murshidabad for the silk industry. Industries of West Bengal are of two types i. Cottage industries and ii. Large scale industries. Cottage Key words Availability Status, Habit, Habitat, Some industries are handloom industry, silk industry, rice husking Important Medicinal Plants, West Bengal, industry, cane and bamboo industry, leather industry, India. pottery, jewellery etc. and large scale industries are the Jute industries, the cotton textile industries, the iron and India has very rich diversity of Medicinal and steel industry, the tea industry, the paper industry, the sugar Aromatic Plants. India is one of the twelve mega industry, the chemical industry. biodiversity of the world with two biodiversity hotspots West Bengal is a mega bio-diversity state having 3,580 viz., Eastern Himalaya and Western Ghats. Indian system species covering Temperate and Sub-Alpine forests of of medicine are Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Siddha and Unani. Darjeeling to Estuarine Plains of Sundarbans. Forest areas The important contributions on Indian Medicinal Plants are the main source of Medicinal Plants in West Bengal. after independence include Chopra et al. 1958, Data and There are 10 different forest types in West Bengal viz., i. Mukherjee, 1950-1952, Mitra and Jain, 1991, Sivrajan and North Tropical wet Evergreen forests ii. Northern Sub- Balachandran, 1994, Raychaudhary, 1995 and Kaushik and Tropical semi-evergreen forests, iii. North India moist Dhiman, 2000 (Srivastava, 2014). The Charak Samhita and deciduous forests, iv. Littoral and swamp forests – the Susrut Samhita provide the remarkable description of the mangroves, v. Littoral and swamp forests – Tropical Indian Medicinal Plants. seasonal swamps, vi. Northern Tropical dry deciduous West Bengal mainly comprises the western part of forests, vii. Northern sub-tropical broad-leaved wet hill the province of undivides Bengal and it was formed as a forests, viii. Northern Montane Wet Temperate forests, ix. separate state in the year 1947. Himalayas in the northern East Himalayan moist temperate forests and x. Sub-Alpine part and Bay of Bengal in the southern part of the state forests. (Plate 1). Physical divisions of the state are i. The highlands The state West Bengal is characterized by its rich and terai regions of the north. The district of Darjeeling, vegetation which consists mainly of herbs, shrubs, thorny Kalimpong and foothills is situated in this region. ii. The shrubs, climbers, mangroves, small and large trees with low plateau of the western border. Here Purulia district and orchids, lichen, bryophytes, pteridophytes from low altitude western parts of Bankura, Midnapur and eastward Sundarban Coastal Areas to high altitude of Sandakphu. extensions of the Chotanagpur plateau region etc. come to Some of the major tribes are Mundas, Malpaharias, Oraon, this region. The central and southern plain region to the Namasudra, Polia, Rajbansi, Sandals etc. and they practices south of the northern mountainous tract and east of the to treat a variety of ailments using various Medicinal Plants western plateau region lie the extensive plain lands of West due to its easy availability, low cost and efficiency. The Bengal. The rivers of West Bengal are the Ganga, the Medicinal Plants resources of West Bengal is very rich. Bhagirathi, the Damodar, the Mayurakshi, the Mahananda The prevailing agro-climatic condition is very congenial and the Teesta. Besides these, there are many other small 2320 Trends in Biosciences 11 (12), 2018 Plate 1. Location map of West Bengal (Study area) YONZONE and RAI, Availability Status, Habit and Habitat of Some Important Medicinal Plants of West Bengal, India 2321 A B C D E F Plate 2. A. First author taking photograph at Chetrey (boarder area of Nepal and India), during field tour. B. Habitat study of terrestrial medicinal orchid Cremastra appendiculata and Calanthe sylvatica at Dhotrey forest, Darjeeling, C. Last author taking interview with Tamang Bidhang or Bidhaya husband and wife regarding uses of local medicinal plants at Nimbong busty of Kalimpong I, D. Taking interview with senior Herbal healer at Ghanti dara, Nimbong Busty of Kalimpong I, E. First author taking interview with popular herbal healer Mr. N.B. Gurung, Nimbong fatak, Kalimpong I, F. Arrangement of collected medicinal plant species for herbarium preparation at Manaybhanjang Hotel (boarder area of India & Nepal) 2322 Trends in Biosciences 11 (12), 2018 Table 1. List of some important Medicinal Plant Species of West Bengal with Availability Status, Habit and Habitat Sl. No. Name of the Medicinal Plant Species Habit Habitat Availability Status 1. Abelmoschus moschatum Medic. Herb Terrestrial Common 2. Abies densa Griff. Tree Terrestrial Sparse 3. Abroma augusta (L.) L.f. Shrub Terrestrial Cultivated 4. Abrus precatorius L. Shrub Terrestrial Sparse 5. Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet Sub Shrub Terrestrial Common 6. Abutilon theophrasti Medic. Sub Shrub Terrestrial Rare 7. Acacia catechu (L.f.) Willd. Tree Terrestrial Rare 8. Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. Tree Terrestrial Sparse 9. Acacia nilotica (L.) Willd. ex Delile Shrub Terrestrial Sparse 10. Acacia pennata (L.) Willd. Shrub Terrestrial Common 11. Acacia rugata (Lam.) Voigt. Shrub Terrestrial Sparse 12. Acalypha indica L. Herb Terrestrial Frequent 13. Achyranthes aspera L. Herb Terrestrial Common 14. Acmella calva (DC.) Jansen Herb Terrestrial Frequent 15. Acmella oleracea (L.) R.K. Jansen Herb Terrestrial Sparse 16. Aconitum bisma (Ham.) Rapaics Herb Terrestrial Endangered 17. Aconitum laciniatum (Bruehl) Stapf Herb Terrestrial Threatened 18. Aconitum spicatum (Bruehl) Stapf. Herb Terrestrial Threatened 19. Acorus calamus L. Herb Terrestrial Cultivated 20. Adenanthera pavonina L. Tree Terrestrial Cultivated 21. Adiantum lunulatum Burm. Herb Terrestrial Common 22. Aegle marmelos (L.) Corr. Tree Terrestrial Rare 23. Aerides multiflora Roxb. Herb Epiphytic Rare 24. Aerva lanata Juss. ex Schult. Herb Terrestrial Frequent 25. Aerva javanica Juss. ex Schult. Herb Terrestrial Cultivated 26. Agave americana L. Shrub Terrestrial Frequent 27. Agave cantala Roxb. Herb Terrestrial Sparse 28. Agave sisalana Per. Shrub Terrestrial Rare 29. Ageratina adenophora (Spreng.) King & Robinson Herb Terrestrial Common 30. Ageratum conyzoides L. Herb Terrestrial Common 31. Aglaia odoratissima Bl. Tree Terrestrial Cultivated 32. Agrimonia pilosa Ledebour. Herb Terrestrial Rare 33. Ailanthus excelsa Roxb. Tree Terrestrial Sparse 34. Albizia chinensis (Osbeck) Merr. Tree Terrestrial Sparse 35. Albizia procera (Roxb.) Benth. Tree Terrestrial Sparse 36. Alangium chinense (Lour.) Harms Tree Terrestrial Sparse 37. Alangium salvifolium (L.f.) Wang Tree Terrestrial Common 38. Albizia amara Boivin Tree Terrestrial Rare 39. Alocasia indica (Roxb.) Schott. Herb Terrestrial Cultivated 40. Aloe barbadensis Mill. Herb Terrestrial Cultivated 41. Alpinia calcarata (Haw.) Rocs. Herb Terrestrial Cultivated 42. Alpinia malaccensis (Burm. f.) Rocs. Herb Terrestrial Sparse 43. Alpinia nigra (Gaertn.) Burtt. Herb Terrestrial Sparse 44. Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br. Tree Terrestrial Sparse 45. Alternanthera sessilis (L.) DC. Herb Terrestrial Rare 46. Amaranthus viridis L. Herb Terrestrial Cultivated 47. Amaranthus spinosus L. Herb Terrestrial Frequent 48. Amomum subulatum Roxb.