Wild edible plants of Koch Bihar district, West Bengal

, Vol. 8(1), 2009, pp.64-72 Green page: Research Paper Wild edible plants of Koch Bihar district, West Bengal Introduction Koch Bihar district lies in the North-eastern part of the state of West Bengal in between 26º32 46 to 25º57 57 North latitude and 89º52 00 to 88º45 02 East longitude. The total area of the district is 3, 3386 sq km. The district is surrounded by Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal in northern and most part of western side. The southern boundary of the district is very much indented and is formed by the Rangpur district of Bangladesh. The eastern boundary is formed by the Goalpara district of Assam. The major ethnic community of the district is Rajbanshi or Koch which constitute about 40% of total population of the district. The other tribal communities are Kheria, Oraon, Rabha and Santhal. Most of them are village dwellers and agriculture is the main economic pursuit of all the ethnic communities of the district. Their participation in agriculture is mainly in S Bandyopadhyay 1 and Sobhan Kr Mukherjee 2 * 1 Department of Botany, K.N. College, Berhampore, Murshidabad- 742 101, West Bengal, India 2 Department of Botany, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, Nadia - 741 235, West Bengal *Correspondent author, E-mail: sobhankr@yahoo.com Received 28 September 2007; Accepted 13 February 2008 Abstract Koch Bihar, a district of North-eastern part of the state of West Bengal, is inhabited by Rajbanshi or Koch tribe which constitutes about 40% of total population of the district. The other tribal communities are Kheria, Oraon, Rabha and Santhal. Most of them are village dwellers and depend on plant or plant products to maintain their livelihood. Ethnobotanical field studies reveals that the ethnic people as well as the other inhabitants of the district have considerable traditional knowledge of wild edible plants and their utilization. During the field study 125 plant species belonging to 102 genera under 54 families have been recorded which are commonly used by the ethnic communities and other inhabitants as wild edible. Keywords: Koch Bihar district, West Bengal, Wild edible plants. IPC code; Int. cl. 8 A23L 1/00, A23L 1/052 the capacity of share croppers, agricultural labourers and small farmers. The principal meals of all ethnic communities consist of Bhat i.e. boiled rice with boiled leafy vegetables (Sag) from their surroundings. They fully depend on wild leafy vegetables, flowers, fruits, etc. which they collect from the nearby forest areas or village surroundings and they also dig out underground parts whenever necessary. Besides their own consumption, selling of wild leafy vegetables, tubers, fruits, seeds, etc. in the local 'Huts' (Markets) is a common practice among tribal community and by selling these; they secure a little money which brings some relief to their depressed economic condition. A perusal of literature 1-5 reveals that not much work has been done on the wild edible plants of Koch Bihar district alone, hence the present work has been undertaken to record the plants, which are commonly used by the ethnic communities and other inhabitants of this district as a chief source of daily food. Materials and Methods The present work is the outcome of ethnobotanical field survey of 5 consecutive years (1995-2000) from different tribal villages of Koch Bihar district. Among the inhabitants, knowledgeable persons primarily the aged ones, ethnic men and women were interviewed. The first hand information on wild edible plant species, part(s) used, vernacular name(s), English name (E) and mode of utilization was collected mainly from the tribal people residing in the interior forest area. Voucher specimens have been deposited in the herbarium of Pharmacognosy section, Botanical Survey of India, Howrah (CAL). Vernacular names of the plant species were obtained from the following ethnic and other local people such as Kheria (K), Oraon (O), Rabha (Ra), Raj banshi (Rj), Santhal (S) and Bengali (B). Common English names (E) of the plants are also given, if available. Results and Discussion In the present work wild edible plants of Koch Bihar district are enumerated in the Table 1, in which botanical name of the plants are arranged alphabetically followed by family name, vernacular name(s), life form of the 64

Table 1: Wild edible plants of Koch Bihar District, West Bengal 1 Abelmoschus moschatus Medic./ Malvaceae Bon bhendi (B); Ambrette plant or H Fruits Cooked as vegetable (Fig.1) Musk mallow (E) 2 Abutilon indicum (Linn.) Sweet/ Malvaceae Helencha (Rj); Mamaruk (Ra); Potari H Leaves and flowers Cooked as vegetable (Fig.2) (B); Country mallow (E) 3 Acacia catechu (Linn.f.) Willd. / Mimosaceae Khair (B); Cutch tree (E) T Gum Taken with betel leaf 4 Alocasia macrorrhiza (Linn.) G. Don/Araceae Mankachu (S); Giant taro (E) H Root stock Used as vegetable 5 Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Barmasag or Sanchesag (B); H Twigs Cooked as vegetable Griseb./Amaranthaceae (Fig.3) Alligator weed (E) 6 Alternanthera sessilis (Linn.) R. Br. ex DC/ Natoan (Rj) H Twigs Cooked as vegetable Amaranthaceae (Fig.4) 7 Amaranthus spinosus Linn./ Amaranthaceae Kanta-note (B); Khuria-Kanta (Rj); H Leaves Used as vegetable Prickly amaranth (E) 8 Amaranthus tricolor Linn./ Amaranthaceae Lal-note or Lal sag (B); Tampala (K); H Tender shoots Cooked as vegetable Chinese spinach or Amaranth (E) and leaves 9 Amaranthus viridis Linn./ Amaranthaceae Bon-note (B); Wild amaranth or H Leaves Cooked as vegetable (Fig.5) Green amaranth (E) 10 Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Dennst.) Ol (B); Elephant-foot yam (E) H Tender leaves Cooked as vegetable Nicolson/ Araceae and corm 11 Ampelocissus barbata (Wall.) Jangli-angur (B) C Ripe fruits Eaten raw by the children Planch./ Vitaceae (Fig.6) 12 Ananas comosus (Linn.) Merr./ Bromeliaceae Anarash (Rj, Ra, K, B); Pineapple (E) H Ripe fruits Eaten raw 13 Annona reticulata Linn./ Annonaceae Nona (B); Bullock's heart (E) T Ripe fruits Eaten raw 14 Antidesma acidum Retz./ Euphorbiaceae (Fig.7) Matha arak (S) T Ripe fruits Eaten by the children 15 Ardisia solanacea Roxb./ Myrsinaceae Kuntiphal (S) S Ripe fruits Eaten raw by the children 16 Areca catechu Linn./ Arecaceae Supari (B); Areca nut or Betel nut (E) T Seeds Chewed with betel leaf 17 Artocarpus lakoocha Roxb./ Moraceae Deo-phal, Dool (S); Monkey Jack (E) T Ripe fruits Eaten raw 18 Asparagus racemosus Willd./ Asparagaceae (Fig.8) Satamul (B) H Roots Boiled and eaten 19 Azadirachta indica A. Juss./ Meliaceae Nim (B); Margosa tree or Neem tree (E) T Leaves Cooked as vegetable 20 Bacopa monnieri (Linn.) Penn./ Brahmi (B); Thyme leaved gratiola (E) H Whole Plant Cooked as vegetable Scrophulariaceae 21 Bambusa arundinacea (Retz.) Willd./ Poaceae Bans (B); Thorny bamboo (E) T Tender shoots Used as vegetable 22 Bambusa balcooa Roxb./ Poaceae Balaka bans (B); Bamboo (E) T Tender shoots Used as vegetable 23 Bambusa pallida Munro/ Poaceae Bans (B); Bamboo (E) T Tender shoots Cooked as vegetable 24 Bambusa tulda Roxb./Poaceae Bans (B); Bamboo (E) T Tender shoots Cooked as vegetable 25 Bambusa vulgaris Schrad./ Poaceae Basini bans (B); Golden bamboo or T Tender shoots Cooked as vegetable Feathery bamboo (E) 26 Bauhinia purpurea Linn./ Caesalpiniaceae Rakto kanchan (B); Pink bauhinia or T Flowers and Cooked as vegetable Camel's foot (E) flower buds 27 Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn./ Chal kumra (B); Ash gourd (E) C Fruits Used as vegetable Cucurbitaceae Vol 8(1) January-February 2009 65

28 Boerhaavia diffusa Linn./ Nyctaginaceae Punarnava (S); Hogweed or H Leaves Cooked as vegetable (Fig.9) Horse-purslane (E) 29 Borassus flabellifer Linn./ Arecaceae Tal (B); Palmyra palm (E) T Ripe fruits Eaten raw 30 Brassica juncea (Linn.) Coss./ Brassicaceae Sarisha (B); Indian mustard (E) H Whole plants Cooked as vegetable; edible and seeds oil extracted from seeds 31 Bridelia retusa Spreng./ Euphorbiaceae Kosai (B) T Fruits Eaten raw 32 Bridelia stipularis Blume/ Euphorbiaceae Harinhara (B) C Fruits Eaten raw by the children 33 Bryonopsis laciniosa (Linn.) Naud./ Mala (B) C Leaves and fruits Cooked as vegetable Cucurbitaceae 34 Butea monosperma (Lam.) Taub./Fabaceae Palash (B.); Flame of the forest or T Flowers Cooked as vegetable (Fig.10) Bengal Kino (E) 35 Callicarpa macrophylla Vahl/ Verbenaceae Dahiya (S,O); Mathara (B) S Fruits Eaten raw by the children 36 Carissa carandas Linn./ Apocynaceae Karamcha (B); Karaunda (E) T Fruits Eaten raw and used in making pickles 37 Carissa spinarum Linn./ Apocynaceae Khunti (S) S Fruits Eaten raw 38 Caryota urens Linn./Arecaceae Chao (O); Kittul (K); Sago, Toddy or T Seeds Chewed with betel leaf Fish-Tail palm (E) 39 Cassia fistula Linn./ Caesalpiniaceae Sondali or Amaltash (B); Indian T Flowers and seeds Cooked as vegetable laburnum, or Purging fistula (E) 40 Celosia argentea Linn./ Amaranthaceae Swet morog (B); Quail grass (E) H Leaves Used as vegetable 41 Centella asiatica (Linn.) Urban/ Apiaceae Thankuni (B); Khudimuni (O); Indian H Leaves Used as vegetable Pennywort (E) 42 Chenopodium album Linn./ Chenopodiaceae Bathua sag (B); Lamb's quarters (E) H Leaves Cooked as vegetable 43 Cinnamomum tamala Nees. & Eberm. / Lauraceae Tejpata (B); Indian cassia or Lignea (E) T Leaves As flavouring element 44 Cissus adnata Roxb./ Vitaceae Bodlarnari (S) C Leaves Cooked as vegetable 45 Coccinia grandis (Linn.) Voigt/ Cucurbitaceae Talakucha (B); Korai fruit or C Leaves and fruits Used as vegetable Ivy gourd (E) 46 Colocasia esculenta (Linn.) Schott/Araceae (Fig. 11) Kocu (B); Taro (K); Arum (E) H Rhizome and leaves Cooked as vegetable 47 Corchorus capsularis Linn./ Tiliaceae (Fig. 12) Titapat (B); Jute or White jute (E) H Leaves Cooked as vegetable 48 Corchorus olitorius Linn./ Tiliaceae Mitha pat or Desipat (B); Jaw's H Twigs and leaves Cooked as vegetable mallaw (E) 49 Cordia dichotoma Forst. f./ Ehretiaceae Bahubara (B); Sebesten or Clammy T Ripe fruits Eaten raw cherry (E) 50 Dendrocalamus strictus (Roxb.) Karail bus (B); Solid bamboo or T Tender shoots Cooked as vegetable Nees/ Poaceae Mafe bamboo (E) 51 Dillenia indica Linn./ Dilleniaceae (Fig. 13) Chata (B); Elephant apple (E) T Succulent calyx Used in making pickles 52 Dioscorea alata Linn./ Dioscoreaceae Khamalu or Chupri alu (B); Asiatic C Tubers Cooked as vegetable yam or Greater yam (E) 53 Dioscorea bulbifera Linn./ Dioscoreaceae Mete alu or Ban alu (B); Potato C Tubers Cooked as vegetable Yam or Air potato (E) 66

54 Dioscorea hispida Dennst./ Dioscoreaceae Mete alu or Ban alu (B); Potato C Tubers Used as vegetable Yam or Air potato (E) 55 Dioscorea pentaphylla Linn./ Dioscoreaceae Bon alu or Kata alu (B) C Tubers Used as vegetable 56 Diospyros malabarica (Desr.) Gub (B); Indian persimmon (E) T Ripe fruits Eaten raw Kostel./ Ebenaceae 57 Diplazium esculentum (Retz.) Sw./ Denkisag (B) H Young and Cooked as vegetable Dryopteridaceae immature leaves 58 Duchesnea indica (Anders.) Focke/ Rosaceae Haldier (Ra); Indian mock or Yellow H Ripe fruits Eaten raw by the children straw berry (E) 59 Echinochloa crus-galli (Linn.) Sema (Ra); Shama (B); Barnyard H Fruits Boiled and taken with salt P. Beauv./ Poaceae millet (E) 60 Eclipta prostrata (Linn.) Linn./ Asteraceae Kesut (B); Kala Kesuri (Ra) H Leaves Cooked as vegetable 61 Ehretia acuminata R. Br. var. serrata (Roxb.) Kulaaja (B); Heliotope tree (E) T Ripe fruits Eaten raw by children Jhonston/ Ehretiaceae 62 Elaeocarpus serratus Linn./ Elaeocarpaceae Jalpai (B); Ceylon olive (E) T Unripe fruits Used in making pickles 63 Eleusine indica Linn./ Poaceae Chamghas (Or); Crow foot grass H Fruits Boiled and taken with salt (Fig.14) or Crab grass (E) 64 Emblica officinalis Gaertn. syn. Amlaki (B); Emblic or Indian T Unripe fruits Eaten raw, also used in Phyllanthus emblica Linn./ Euphorbiaceae gooseberry (E) making pickles 65 Enhydra fluctuans Lour./ Asteraceae Hinchya (B); Hibanchi (S) H Whole plant Cooked as vegetable 66 Eryngium foetidum Linn./ Apiaceae (Fig. 15) Brombho dhone (B) H Leaves Used as flavouring agent 67 Fagopyrum esculentum Moench Dhemsi (Rj); Buckwheat (E) H Leaves and fruits Cooked as vegetable; flavour Polygonaceae obtained from fruit used in making chapati 68 Ficus hispida Linn. f./ Moraceae Khoksa (Rj); Dumar (B) T Receptacle Cooked as vegetable 69 Ficus racemosa Linn./ Moraceae Jogya dumur (B); Cluster fig (E) T. Receptacle Cooked as vegetable 70 Flacourtia indica (Burm.f.) Merr. Bainchi (B); Ramontchi or S Ripe fruits Eaten raw by children Flacourtiaceae Madagascar plum (E) 71 Flacourtia jangomas (Lour.) Raeusch. Belakota (Ra); Puneala plum (E) T Ripe fruits Eaten raw Flacourtiaceae 72 Glinus lotoides Linn./ Molluginaceae Punornova (S); Duserasag (B) H Leafy twigs Cooked as vegetable 73 Glinus oppositifolius (Linn.) A. DC. Gima (B) H Leafy twigs Cooked as vegetable Molluginaceae 74 Grewia asiatica Linn./ Tiliaceae Phalsa (B); Phalsa (E) T Ripe fruits Eaten raw 75 Grewia tiliaefolia Vahl/ Tiliaceae Dhamin (B) T Ripe fruits Eaten raw 76 Guazuma ulmifolia Lam./ Sterculiaceae Nepaltunth (B) Bastard cedar (E) T Ripe fruits Eaten raw 77 Guizotia abyssynica (Linn. f.) Cass./ Asteraceae Kusum (B); Niger-seed or Rantil (E) H Fruits Roasted 78 Hedyotis scandens Roxb./ Rubiaceae Bania (S); Kokoaru (B) C Leaves Cooked as vegetable 79 Hygrophila schulli (Buch.-Ham.) M.R. Kulekhara (B) H Leaves Cooked as vegetable Almeida & S.M. Almeida/ Acanthaceae 80 Ipomoea aquatica Forsk./ Convolvulaceae Kolmi-sak (B); Swamp cabbage (E) H Leaves Cooked as vegetable Vol 8(1) January-February 2009 67

81 Lasia spinosa Linn./ Araceae Katakachu (B); Kanta saru (S) H Young leaves Used as vegetable 82 Lepisanthes rubiginosa (Roxb.) Leenh./ Jalkusum (B) T Young leaves Used as vegetable Sapindaceae 83 Leucas lavandulaefolia Rees/ Lamiaceae Halkasa (B) H Leafy twigs Cooked as vegetable 84 Limonia acidissima Linn./ Rutaceae Kaitbel (B); Kumbanli (S); T Ripe fruits Eaten raw and also used in Elephant-apple or Wood apple (E) making pickles 85 Maesa indica Wall./Myrsinaceae Ramjani (B) S Ripe fruits Eaten raw by children 86 Malva verticillata Linn./Malvaceae Lapha (B); Laffa (Ra) H Tender leafy twigs Cooked as vegetable 87 Marsilea minuta Linn./ Marsileaceae Sushni shak (B) H Leaves Cooked as vegetable 88 Melastoma malabathricum Linn./ Phukti (Rj); Indian Rhododendron (E) H Ripe fruits Eaten raw by children Melastomataceae (Fig. 16) 89 Meyna spinosa Roxb. ex Link/ Rubiaceae Moina Kata (B); Mainphal (Ra, K) S Ripe fruits Eaten raw 90 Momordica cochinchinensis Golkakra (S); Kakrol (B) C Unripe fruits Used as vegetable (Lour.) Spreng./ Cucurbitaceae 91 Momordica dioica Roxb. ex Willd./ Karol (Rj); Ban Karola (B); Small C Unripe fruits Cooked as vegetable Cucurbitaceae (Fig. 17) bitter-gourd (E) 92 Murraya koenigii (Linn.) Spreng./ Rutaceae Narshim (K); Khadi neem (Ra); S Leaves Used as flavouring agent Curry leaf tree (E) 93 Musa balbisiana Colla/ Musaceae Kalagach (B); Banana (E) H Rhizome; unripe Rhizome and unripe fruit fruit; ripe fruit cooked as vegetable; ripe fruits eaten raw 94 Neolamarckia cadamba (Roxb.) Kadamba (Rj); Kadam (B); Kadam (E) T Ripe fruits Eaten raw by children Bosser/Rubiaceae (Fig. 18) 95 Nymphaea nouchali Burm.f./ Nymphaeaceae Shaluk (B); Indian red water-lily (E) H Peduncles Cooked as vegetable 96 Nymphaea stellata Willd./ Nymphaeaceae Nil Shaluk (B); Indian blue water-lily (E) H Peduncles Cooked as vegetable 97 Oroxylum indicum (Linn.) Vent./Bignoniaceae Surimala (Rj); Makoi (Ra); Sona (B) T Flowers Used as vegetable 98 Oxalis corymbosa DC./ Oxalidaceae Amrul (B); Tenga (Ra) H Bulbs Eaten raw, also used for making pickles 99 Paederia scandens (Lour.) Merr./ Gandal (B) C Leaves Cooked as vegetable Rubiaceae (Fig. 19) 100 Persicaria chinensis (Linn.) H. Gross/ Ameta (Ra) H/S Leaves Used as vegetable Polygonaceae 101 Phlogacanthus thyrsiflorus (Roxb.) Nees/ Rambasak (B); Titaphul (Rj) S Flowers Used as vegetable Acanthaceae (Fig. 20) 102 Phoenix sylvestris (Linn.) Roxb./ Arecaceae Khejur (B); Wild date palm or T Ripe fruits Eaten raw Date sugar palm (E) 103 Physalis minima Linn./ Solanaceae (Fig. 21) Bon tepari (B); Sun berry (E) H Ripe fruits Eaten raw 104 Pithecellobium dulce (Roxb.) Dekani babla or Jilipiphal (B); T Seeds Eaten raw Benth./Mimosaceae Manila tamarind (E) 105 Polyalthia suberosa (Roxb.) Thw./Annonaceae Sandiome (S); Barachali (B) S Ripe fruits Eaten raw by children 106 Polycarpon prostratum (Forssk.) Bongima (B) H Whole plant Cooked as vegetable Aschers. & Schwienf./ Caryophyllaceae 68

107 Polygonum plebium R. Br./ Polygonaceae Chiknisag (B); Raniphul (S) H Whole plant Cooked as vegetable 108 Portulaca oleracea Linn./ Portulacaceae Nune (S); Baraloniya (B); H Whole plant Cooked as vegetable Common purslane (E) 109 Rumex dentatus Linn. ssp. Bonpalang (B); Jungli palak (Ra) H Leaves Used as vegetable klotzschianus (Meisw) Rech. f./ Polygonaceae 110 Senna sophera (Linn.) Roxb./ Kalkasunda (B); Sophera senna (E) H Leaves Cooked as vegetable Caesalpiniaceae (Fig. 22) 111 Senna tora (Linn.) Roxb./ Caesalpiniaceae Chakunda (B); Sickle senna (E) H Leaves and flowers Eaten cooked 112 Sesbania grandiflora Pers./ Fabaceae Bakphul (B); Agathi, Swamp T Flowers Used as vegetable (Fig. 23) pea or Sesban (E) 113 Smilax ovalifolia Roxb./ Smilacaceae Ramdatan (Rj); Kumarika (B); C Leaves Cooked as vegetable Atkir (S) 114 Solanum myriacanthum Dunal/ Solanaceae Kontakari (B) H Unripe fruits Cooked as vegetable 115 Solena amplexicaulis (Lam.) Gandhi/ Nakal naru (Ra) C Leaves and Used as vegetable Cucurbitaceae unripe fruits 116 Spilanthes oleracea Linn./ Asteraceae Borousni (Rj); Brazilian cress or H Leaves Eaten cooked Para cress (E) 117 Sterculia villosa Roxb. ex Smith/ Sterculiaceae Odal (O) T Seeds Roasted 118 Syzygium cumini (Linn.) Skeels/ Myrtaceae Jam (B); Black plum, Java plum or T Ripe fruits Eaten raw Jambolan (E) 119 Tamarindus indica Linn./ Caesalpiniaceae Tentul (B); Tetuli (Rj); T Leaves; fruits Leaves cooked as vegetable; Tamarind tree (E) fruits eaten raw and also used in making pickles 120 Tetrastigma bracteolatum Durujeokha (S) C Ripe fruits Eaten raw (Wall. ex M. Laws). Planch./ Vitaceae 121 Tetrastigma leucostaphylum (Dennst.) Bherser (S) C Ripe fruits Eaten raw by children Alston ex Mabberley/ Vitaceae 122 Trichosanthes anguina Linn./ Cucurbitaceae Chichinga (B); Snake gourd (E) C Unripe fruits Cooked as vegetable 123 Trichosanthes cucumerina Ludbudhi (R); Banpatol (B) C Unripe fruits Cooked as vegetable Linn./Cucurbitaceae 124 Typhonium trilobatum Ghetkul (Ra); Ghet Kochu (B) H Leaves Cooked as vegetable (Linn.) Schott./ Araceae 125 Ziziphus oenoplia (Linn.) Mill./ Rhamnaceae Sekul or Siakul (B); Jackal jujube (E) S Fruits Eaten raw (Fig. 24) H-Herbs; C-Climbers; S-Shrubs; T-Trees B-Bengali; E-English; K-Kheria; O-Oraon; Ra-Rabha; Rj-Raj banshi; S-Santhal Vol 8(1) January-February 2009 69

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Fig. 1-12: 1. Abelmoschus moschatus; 2. Abutilon indicum; 3. Alternanthera philoxeroides; 4. Alternanthera sessilis R. Br.; 5. Amaranthus viridis; 6. Ampelocissus barbata; 7. Antidesma acidum; 8. Asparagus racemosus; 9. Boerhaavia diffusa; 10. Butea monosperma; 11. Colocasia esculenta; 12. Corchorus capsularis 70

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Fig. 13-24: 13. Dillenia indica ; 14. Eleusine indica; 15. Eryngium foetidum; 16. Melastoma malabathricum; 17. Momordica dioica; 18. Neolamarckia cadamba; 19. Paederia scandens; 20. Phlogacanthus thyrsiflorus; 21. Physalis minima; 22. Senna sophera ; 23. Sesbania grandiflora; 24. Ziziphus oenoplia Vol 8(1) January-February 2009 71

plants, part(s) used and mode of utilization. It is estimated that in India about 800 species are consumed as wild edible plants, chiefly by the tribal people 6. Present survey of wild edible plants of Koch Bihar district indicate that 125 plant species belonging to 102 genera under 54 families have been recorded. It is evident from the Table 1 that ripe and unripe fruits of different plant species are consumed maximum times than the other parts of the plant. A statistical analysis about the wild edible plants of Koch Bihar district belonging to different plant groups and composition of their life forms is presented in Tables 2 and 3. It is evident from the Table 2 that tribal people mainly consume dicotyledonous plants (98 spp.) in relation to monocotyledonous plants (25 spp.) and Table 2 : Conspectus of wild edible plants of Koch Bihar district Plant Groups Family Genera Species Pteridophyta 02 02 02 Dicotyledons 44 82 98 Monocotyledons 08 18 25 Total 54 102 125 pteriodophytic plant group (2 spp.). They consume these plants either raw or after cooking, roasting or frying. These easily available plant species are the chief source of their essential nutrients such as proteins, vitamins, minerals, fats and carbohydrates. Table 3 indicates that out of total 125 plant species, herbs are predominant type of wild edible plants, followed by trees and climbers. Shrubby plants are used in least number of occasions. It is evident from the present study that ethnic people of Koch Bihar district consume fruits on maximum occasions (50), followed by leaves (37), stems and twigs in 15 occasions, underground parts in 11 occasions and other parts of plants (flowers, seeds, whole plants and others) below the level of 10 times in each occasion. Conclusion The findings of the present study indicate that wild edible plants are closely linked with socioeconomic condition of tribal people of Koch Bihar district of West Bengal for their day-to-day requirement. Increased overexploitation of wild edibles may causes threat to certain species. There is an obvious need to explore wild edibles that can be harvested without much Table 3 : Composition of wild edible plant species under different categories of life forms Plant Groups Herbs Shrubs Trees Climbers Pteridophyta 02 - - - Dicotyledons 40 10 32 16 Monocotyledons 10-10 5 pressure on a particular species in conformity with the principles of sustainable utilization of genetic resources. That will add a new dimension towards traditional management and conservation of plant wealth of the region. Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to the ethnic informants without whose active co-operation the work could not be accomplished. Authors are also thankful to Late Prof. A. K. Sarkar and Prof. G. G. Maiti, Department of Botany, Kalyani University for suggestions and encouragement. References 1. Jain SK and De JN, Some less known plant foods among the tribals of Purulia (West Bengal), Sci Cult, 1964, 30, 285-286. 2. Maji S and Sikdar JK, A taxonomic survey and systematic census on the edible wild plants of Midnapore district, West Bengal, J Econ Taxon Bot, 1982, 3, 717-737. 3. Bhujel RB, Tamang KK and Yonzone GS, Edible wild plants of Darjeeling district, J Bengal Nat Hist Soc, 1984, 3, 76-83. 4. Mukherjee CR and Ghosh RB, Useful plants of Birbhum district, West Bengal, J Econ Taxon Bot Addl Ser, 1992, 10, 83-95. 5. Das D, Wild food plants of Midnapore, West Bengal, during drought and flood, J Econ Taxon Bot, 1999, 23(2), 539-547. 6. Singh HB and Arora RK, Raishan (Digitaria sp.) - a minor millet of Khasi Hills, India, Econ Bot, 1978, 26, 376-380. Total 52 10 42 21 72