Wild edible plant used by ethnic peoples on the boundary of subtropical & temperate natural forest, Mamlay watershed, South Sikkim

摘要

Wild edible plants (WEPs) are a rich bio-resource of Sikkim, Himalaya having a high nutritional value. Local people of theSikkim commonly use wild edible plants in their diet on regular basis. This present study aimed at documenting wild edibleplants utilized by the local inhabitants of Mamlay watershed which was carried out during the year 2017-2019. The studyexplored a total of 49 wild edible plants belonging to 31 families, 44 genera, and 49 species. About 34 WEPs were recordedfrom temperate natural forest TNF and 31 wild edible plants were recorded from subtropical natural forest STNF. Twostudies conducted with a gap of twenty years revealed that a large part of WEPs recorded is from tree source showing amarked forest dependency. The collection of WEPs in the form of entire plants, roots or tubers was at the lowest suggestingthe people’s awareness to conservation and also revealed that market price value of wild edible plants has increased highlyin the study area.