international journal of current biotechnology

Volume 1; Issue 6; Aug, 2013 Int.J.Curr.Biotechnol. 4

Sahu C.R, Nayak R.K and Dhal N.K., The plant wealth of Boudh district of Odisha, India with reference to Ethnobotany,Int.J.Curr.Biotechnol., 2013, 1(6):4-10.

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The plant wealth of Boudh district of Odisha, India with reference to Ethno-botanySahu C. R1*, Nayak R. K2 and Dhal3 N. K.

1*. Department of Botany, Govt. college (Autonomous), Angul, Odisha - 759 143, India.

2. Department of Botany, J.K.B.K. Govt. college, Cuttack - 753 003, Odisha, India.

3. CSIR, IMMT, Bhubaneswar – 751 013, Odisha, India.

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Article History:Received 19 August 2013Received in revised form 27 August 2013Accepted 30 August 2013Available online 31 August 2013

Key words:Ethnobotany, Tribal communities,Boudh, Odisha, Traditional knowledge

Ethnobotanical study was carried out in Boudh district of Odisha, India. Fif-teen villages dominated by tribal communities under three community devel-opment blocks were selected. The indigenous knowledge of local traditionaluses was collected through questionnaire and personal interviews during fieldtrips. Indigenous communities of the region are largely dependent on plantresources such as medicines, food, fuel, fodder and for other livelihoods. Atotal of 20 traditional agricultural crop species, 8 traditional vegetable spe-cies and nearly 150 forest species were documented. Conservation of thesevaluable resources in its natural habitat would be an appropriate approachfor ensuring food security of future generations.

IntroductionThe Boudh district of Odisha is one of the centres of diversity formany food crop plants and forest species and well known for itsrich cultural diversity. Out of the Sixty-two tribal communitiesfor the state, as many as 25 tribes are found in this district. Theypossess a high level of traditional knowledge in the various fieldsthat governs their livelihood. For generations, they have playeda great role in identifying, conserving, improving and utilizinglocal plant resources and sustain them as well. Besides rice, avariety of millets, pulses, oilseeds and vegetables, Boudh is alsorich in forest wealth. The forest consists of many economicallyuseful plants. The tribes depend on the adjoining forests to fulfiltheir requirements of food, fodder, firewood, fibre and medicines(Sharma et al., 1999).

The last two decades have witnessed a rapid decline in thegenetic diversity of various crops and a depletion of forestspecies in the region (Nayar et al., 2009). High yielding varietiesof different food crops are taken over traditional food crops. Asa result of anthropogenic interferences, forest cover has comedown to 26.34% of the geographic area, from 42% in last twodecades. It is reported that very little work has been done in theethno-botanical flora of the district. Some sporadic reports(Girach, 1992; Sahoo & Bahali, 2003; Sahoo & Mudgal, 1995;Subudhi & Choudhury, 1985; Sahu et al., 2007) from varioussources are available.

Realizing the rapid loss of genetic and species diversity, a surveywas made between 2011-2013 in 15 tribal villages of Boudh in apartic ipatory mode to revive and conserve plant geneticresources for enhancement and sustainable utilization and forthe food and economic security of tribal and rural communities.

Materials and methods

Fifteen tribal dominated villages of all three communitydevelopment blocks were selected shown in above figure. Thestudy team discussed about the plant uses with tribal

communities residing in the villages. For each village a mixedfocused group consisting of 10–15 knowledge holders wasformed. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed todocument ethno-botanical data. Field visits were arranged tocollect and prepare herbaria of forest plants and to take photosof different plant parts for identification. The informationcollected was compared with published literature and recordedfollowing standard guidelines (Haines 1921-25; Mooney 1950;Saxena and Brahmam 1994-96; Jain and Rao 1977). A separatemeeting was arranged for the traditional healthcarepractitioners, locally known as Disari, to document the varioususages of medicinal plants. During analysis, data was arrangedunder three broad divisions.

Results and discussion

The team in the beginning interacted with nine tribalcommunities inhabiting in fifteen villages viz: Kondh, Kharia,Gond, Kol, Munda, Mirdhas, Binjhal, Saora,Pentia belonging toProto Australoid ethnic group and speaking Austro-Asiaticlanguages. The predominant five tribes identified for datacollection were Kondh, Gond, Saora, Kandha-Gauda and Munda.

Kondh villages are more homogeneous in nature. The villagesare usually found near the forest or in the foothills. They speaka corrupt form of Odia, the language of Odisha. Settled agricultureis the main occupation, they practice shifting cultivation and gofor hunting and food collection at times of acute scarcity. Paddyis the major crop followed by pulses, sugarcane and tobacco.They produce many different vegetables from their lands.

Gond, Saora, Kandha-Gauda and Munda, live in heterogeneousvillages along with other neighbours. They speak different tribaldialects and adhere to their cultures. Agriculture is the principalsource of l ivelihood, supplemented with the collection of wildforest foods. They grow millets, pulses and oilseeds on high landsas mixed crop. They are habituated to consuming country liquormade out of rice, finger millet, mahula (Madhuca indica Gmel),salpa (Caryota urens L.) and khajuri (Phoenix sylvestris (L.) Roxb.).

*Corresponding author.Chittaranjan SahuMobile: 91-9437451585Email address: [email protected]

ISSN: 2321 - 8371

5 Int.J.Curr.Biotechnol. Volume 1; Issue 6; Aug, 2013


The data collected were categorized under three divisions:agricultural crops and varieties, forestry including horticulture,tree species and medicinal plants and forest species for explicituse. A total of 20 traditional agricultural crop species, 8tradit ional vegetable species and nearly 150 forest specieswere recorded.

Agricultural crops and varieties

Tribal and rural farming communities have conserved a largenumber of traditional food crops for household food security.Impressive genetic diversity stil l exists in various species ofcereals, millets, pulses and oil seeds. These are well adapted tovarious agro ecological conditions and socio economic set ups.

Boudh is famous for a range of diverse rice landraces of Asiancultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.). Tribal farmers from the surveyedvillages claimed that these landraces possess good qualitygrains with better cooking, nutritive and milling qualities. Kondh,Gond & Saora farmers cultivate short, medium and long durationrice landraces under dry, semidry and wet systems of cultivation.Some of the varieties are linked with tribal culture, so manyhouseholds conserve and cultivate them every year (Table 1).

Boudh is famous for minor millets. The tribal communitiescultivate various millet species documented were Jav (Hordeumvulgare L.), ragi (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.), Maka(Zea maysL.), Kangu (Setaria italica (L.) P.Beauv.), Mandia (Eleucine coracana(L.)Gaertn.), Suan (Panicum sumatrense Roth. ex Roem et Schult.)

and pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides (Burm. f.) Stapf et C. E.Hubb.).

Common pulses were grown by the communities with milletsand oil seeds under multiple cropping systems, some of themare: arhar (Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth.), blackgram (Vigna mungo L.(Hepper), (Vicia faba L) and bilo (Vigna adenantha G.F.W. Meyer).

All the five communities cultivate Niger (Guizotia abyssinica (L.f.)Cass.), extensively in hill tops, hill slopes and uplands in almostall the villages use as a substitute of castor. Tribal communitiesalso grow khasa(Sesamum orientale L.), rai (Brassica napus L.),castor (Ricinus cummunis L.) plants as they use castor oil as hairand body oil.

The common vegetables grown by tribal communities mostly intheir backyards are: tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mi ll.Gard.), saru (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott), lau (Lagenariasiceraria (Molina) Standley), kunduri(Coccinea grandis (L.)Voigt.),kakharu (Cucurbita maxima Duch. ex Lam.), janhi (Luffaacutangula (L.) Roxb.), bhanda(Carica papaya L.) , kalara(Momordica charantia L.), desialu (Dioscoria alata L.), khada saga(Amaranthus gangeticus L.) and poi (Basella alba L.). They usevegetables mostly for day to day requirement, surplusvegetables are sold in the nearby local markets or dried andstored for scarcity days.


Forestry including horticulture, tree species and medicinal plants

Forests have been home for a wide range of plant species forfood, fodder, fuel, wood, fibre, medicines. They collect seasonalforest produce to supplement food and income as they considerit their secondary occupation. It is assumed that ancestors ofthese tribal communities have identified a few forest speciesvaluable for their multiple usage and they still make use of themto manage their daily l ife (Table 2). Tribal communities haveidentified and conserved enormous wild species for householdconsumption like wild edible tubers, green leaves, bambooshoots, fruits and berries and fodder for livestock. During fooddeficit periods, the tribal livelihood depends largely on forestspecies for food to be consumed either raw or cooked.

The Kondh, Gond, Saora communities, familiar with the differentspecies of wild edible tubers (Dioscorea spp.), depend largelyduring the monsoon, a food scarce period. The widely usedspecies are Pit Kanda (D. opposi tifolia L.), Sika Kanda (D.hamiltonii Hook. f.) and Cherenga Kanda (D. wallichi Hook.f.) verypopular among communities for their sweet taste and large size.

Tribal women collect greens either from the nearby forests orfrom the vicinity of the agricultural fields. They include seasonalgreens in their meal, plucked from the trees, herbs and shrubs(Table 3).Young bamboo shoots start sprouting from June to September,particularly tribal women could col lect bamboo shoots bypeeling off the shoot with a knife and make slices and choppedinto small pieces for instant use as curry.

Wild fruits and berries contribute significantly to the foodbaskets of tribal communities (Table 4). The entire family getsengaged in the process of collection and marketing. Mango andJackfruit are widely used across the tribes as they serve as a

vegetable when raw as well as a fruit when ripened. Mangokernels and Jackfruit seeds help the tribal communities to getfood during severe food shortage.

Collection of firewood for domestic purposes is routine work ininterior tribal vil lages as commercial fuel is not affordable bythe tribal communities. The whole family contributes labour inthe process of collecting, storing and selling of firewood. Thecommonly used species are: Bija (Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb.),Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn.f.), Moi (Garuga pinnata Roxb.),Dhamana (Grewia til iifolia Vahl.), Jamu (Syzygium cumini) (L.)Skeels, Mundi (Mitragyna parvifolia (Roxb.) Korth), Harida(Terminalia chebula Retz.), Bahada (Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.)Roxb.), Kendu (Diospyros Melanoxylon Roxb.), Tangini (Xyliaxylocarpa (Roxb.) Taub.), Dhatiki (Woodfordia fruticosa (L.) Kurz.),Chakhunda (Samanea saman (Jacq.) Merr.) and Kuruma (Haldiniacordifolia (Roxb.) Ridsd.).

The tribal communities reconstruct their houses every year, asthey live in mud houses with thatched roofs by using wood logs/tree trunks of certain species to make the skeletal structure ofthe house. The dominant species used are: Sal (Shorea robustaGaertn.f.), Piasal (Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb.), Bandhana(Desmodium oojeinensis (Roxb.) Ohashi), Sahaj (Terminalia alataHeyne ex Roth) and Teak (Tectona grandis L.f.). They use splitbamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus (Roxb.) Nees) in criss- crosspatterns on the roof and spread straws of rice varieties to coverthe roof. Ropes extracted from Siali (Bauhinia vahlii Wight et Arn.)are used for tying the bamboo together. Different uses of plantsby inhabitants of study area in agriculture implements arementioned in (Table-5).

Each tr ibal community has its own Traditional HealthcarePractitioners (THP) coming down through generations, takes


care of their health through herbal medicines. The tribals inheritrich traditional knowledge about the medicinal uses of flora andapply this knowledge for making crude phytomedicines to cureinfections a number of ailments. They collect different parts ofmedicinal plants and herbs from the forest. THPs normally havetraditional palm leaf books, locally known as Pothis, in whichnames of plant species, description of the plants, methods offormulations and doses are written. THPs use local names forthe var ious plant species. Examples of some common butimportant herbs used in the villages are cited in (Table 6).

The study team collected informations on ethnoveterinaryknowledge of common ailments and their remedies. Tribalpeople dump lots of Karada (Cleisanthus collinus (Roxb.) Benth.)fruits in a muddy place and make their cattle stand over the fruitsto heal their sore feet. Maggots are the second most commondisease prevalent among cattle. To treat it they grind the rootsand leave of Mayurchulia (Elephantopus scaber L.) and the wholeplant of Bano tulasi (Ocimum gratissimum L.) and apply it on themaggots. Leaves of Bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus (Roxb.) Nees)are fed to the cattle having diarrhoea. The branches ofHadabhanga (Cissus quadrangula L.) are used to join fracturedbones both in case of cattle and human beings. Leaves andinflorescence of Gayasa (Lucas aspera (Willd.) Link and branchesof Landabaguli (Ocimum basilicum L.) are used to cure woundsin poultry by all the five communities.


Forest species for other uses

The tribes use the forest plant species used as tooth brushesdocumented are: Karanja (Pongamia pinnata) (L.) Pierre, Neem(Azadiracta indica L.), Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn.f.), Dumajada(Jatropha gossypifolia L.), Sahada (Streblus asper Lour.), Sahaja(Terminalia alata Heyne ex Roth), Baunsa (Dendrocalamus strictus(Roxb.)Nees), Nirgundi (Vitex negundo L.) and Khajuri (Phoenixsylvestris (L.) Roxb.).

Tribal communities use different types of brooms such as Phulajhadu (Thysanolaena maxima (Roxb.) Kuntze) and Khajuri jhadu(Phoenix sylvestris (L.) Roxb.) used for sweeping floors of housesand Bajramuli (Sida cordata (Burm.f.) Borss. Waalk.), which ishard and rough, is used to clean cattle sheds every day.

A large number of fibre yielding plants grow in the forests ofBoudh that include trees, shrubs and creepers of which Siali(Bauhinia vahlii Wight et Arn.) a wild creeper is highly preferred.It was documented that the Siali creepers live for hundreds ofyears and preserved as sacred groves. Siali fibres are mainlyused to make ropes of different sizes, which have tremendoususe in the daily life of tribal communities. The other forest fibreproduct plants are Kumbhi (Careya arborea Roxb.),Jhunka(Crotalaria spectabilis Roth.), Barabarasia (Agaveamericana L.) is also used extensively by the tribal communities.

People of all tribal communities consume country liquor dailyas a part of their diet and on different social, religious andcultural functions. We have documented two tree species fromwhich they collect the sap as liquor, Salpa (Caryota urens L.) andKhajuri (Phoenix sylvestris) (L.) Roxb. Tribal men and women havean innovative process of extracting liquor from the flowers ofMahula (Madhuca indica Gmel.). In addition to this, tribal womenprepare alcohol from fermented rice and finger millet (Handia)to celebrate special functions.

ConclusionFrom the investigation it was clear that tribal communitieslargely depend on traditional food crops and wild plant speciesto fulfil their requirement for food, agriculture, medicine andmany other specific needs. Steady depletion of forest coverhinders food gathering from the wild. Documenting theindigenous knowledge through ethnobotanical studies isimportant for the conservation and utilization of biologicalresources. It is high time we take necessary steps to conservethe valuable resources in their natural habitat and to validatethem scientifically. Conservation and sustainable use of theseresources will lead to a path of sustainable agriculture andassured food security of the tribal communities.

AcknowledgementsWe are thankful to the D.F.O. of Nayagarh, Boudh and rangeofficers, forest staffs for their co-operation and also acknowledgethe help provided by the tribal communities and local people ofBoudh district for sharing information and traditional knowledge.

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