Diversity of Wild Edible Plants in the Kotla Valley in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

The current study focuses on the variety of wild edible plants that the locals of Uttarakhand, India’s Kotla valley Barkot (Uttarakashi) consume. During a field survey, local informants provided all of the information. The informants included laborers in the fields, priests,
physicians, and birth attendants older than 55, to repeatedly verify the validity of the information gathered from the research area. There were 64 wild edible plant species in total, with 56 genera and 39 families represented. There were 22 kinds of shrubs, 20 species of trees, 17 species of herbs, and 5 species of climbers that were edible. 49% of the species were used for foraging edible wild fruits, 26% for leaves, 13% for seeds, 7% for roots, and 6% forflowers. The most widespread species included Ficus species, Elaeagnus  umbellata, Morus serrata, Amaranthus caudatus, Berberis aristata, Myrica esculenta, Pinus roxburghii, Prunus cerasoides, Pyracantha crenulata, Pyrus pashia, Rhododendron arboretum, Rubia manjith, and Rubus spp. The importance of wild edible plants in supplying stable and supplementary sustenance cannot be overstated.