Ethnobotanical Importance and Utilization Patterns of Wild Plant Resources in Two Himalayan Landscape of Uttarakhand
Abstract
Plant resources of wild plants play an important role in the sustenance and culture of the people living in the Himalayas. In this study we are presenting ethnobotanical survey data along with the calculation of TIV% of the plants of the Darma-Byans Valley (Byans valley: 52 species, 30 families, 48 genera; Darma valley: 57 species, 39 families, 53 genera) and Gangotri-Govind landscape (36 species, 29 families, 34 genera) of Uttarakhand region. The highest TIV% was found to be of Aconitum heterophyllum in Darma-Byans valleys (50%) and of Paeonia emodi in Gangotri-Govind (60%), followed by Rhododendron arboreum and Urtica dioica (50% each). Medicinal usage is the major use category in terms of number of species in both landscapes, followed by fuelwood, timber, fodder, spices/condiments and religious/sacred usage; there are also some species which have been reported to have multiple uses, like Angelica glauca, Rosa serecio and Xanthoxylum armatum. There are differences in the utilization of plants between the two landscapes, which is in concordance with the fact that trans-border trade in MAPs and Cordyceps sinensis is more prevalent in Darma-Byans valley than in the protected landscape of Gangotri-Govind.