Garo Veg
Garo Veg
Garo Veg
*Corresponding author
Methodology
General basic informations on Garo tribes
collected from the State Forests Department,
Shillong and from forest officials of the Nokrek
Biosphere Reserve. For the ethno-botanical record,
discussions were held at Daribokgre, Chokpot,
Nabokgre, Chandigre and Williamnagar with the
headmans (Nokmas) of surrounding villages,
medicine man (Priest, Kobiras) and head of the
family (Nokni Skotong). During the meetings,
information on wild edible plants, their local
names, plant parts used, and methodology were
recorded. Nine field trips in different seasons
(2007-2010) were undertaken for collection of
plant samples along with the photographs and GPS
data. Herbarium sheets were prepared following
standard methods27. The authors of scientific
names and abbreviations followed for authors of
167
Table 1Wild edible plants used by Garo tribes of Nokrek Biosphere Reserve in Meghalaya, India
Plant name (Family)
Garo name
Parts ulitize
Mode of uses
Gong
Taa
Chhambolji
Rhizomes
Twigs
Corms
Fruits
Cooked as vegetable.
Cooked as vegetable.
Cooked as vegetable.
Ripe yellow fruits are eaten raw.
Nagri
Phraphrukhurbijak
Kizhangu
Kojuka
-
Fruits
Tender shoots
Tubers
Fruits
Twigs
Bol-Megong
Kamchal
Tender shoots
Leaves/petioles
Mangritchok
Samna-bat
Sokmil
Techiek-king
Fruits
Barks
Fruits
Fruits
Bol-thing
Chewa gach
Bol kyian
Bol chamkso
Mimang-Narang
Sam-sweng
Medongdi
-
Fruits
Stem pith
Twigs
Twigs
Fruits
Leaves
Leaves
Leaves
Bol-tysim
Fruits
Wanok
Tender shoots
Thabisa
Tubers
168
Table 1Wild edible plants used by Garo tribes of Nokrek Biosphere Reserve in Meghalaya, India
Plant name (Family)
Garo name
Parts ulitize
Mode of uses
Dioscorea pentaphylla L. (Dioscoreaeae)
Stenz
Tubers
Cooked as vegetable.
Dracaena spicata Roxb. (Agavaceae)
Tubers
Cooked as vegetable.
Drymaria cordata (L.) Willd. ex Roem. &
Samsithalap
Whole plant
Eaten raw.
Schult. (Caryophyllaceae)
Elaeagnus conferta Roxb. (Elaeagnaceae)
Sukhwa
Fruits
Ripe ones eaten raw, used in making
prickles, sold in local market.
Elastostema dissectum Wedd. (Urticaceae)
Khlow
Leaves
Cooked as vegetable.
Entada rheedei Spreng. (Fabaceae)
Bolchhak chhan
Seeds
Boiled, sliced and mixed with gram
and eaten as vegetable.
Eurya acuminata DC. (Theaceae)
Murmura
Tender shoots
Cooked in oil and eaten as vegetable.
Fagopyrum dibotrys (D.Don) Hara. (Polygonaceae) Sambodom bong
Shoots
Tender ones are cooked as vegetable.
Ficus auriculata Lour. (Moraceae)
Kakbal-takukasing Fruits
Eaten raw.
Ficus hispida L.f. (Moraceae)
Thiwek, Sakhap
Leaves
Cooked as vegetable.
Ficus oligodon Miq. (Moraceae)
Prap
Fruits
Ripe ones eaten raw.
Leaves
Cooked as vegetable.
Ficus subincisa Buch.-Ham. ex J.E. Sm. (Moraceae) Bol matap
Flemingia vestita Baker (Fabaceae)
Bol phlang
Tubers
Eaten raw.
Garcinia kydia Roxb. (Clusiaceae)
Tekra, Denga duti
Fruits
Eaten raw.
Gmelina arborea Roxb. (Verbenaceae)
Bol-lophiang
Flowers
Cooked as vegetable.
Grewia nervosa (Lour.) Panigr. (Tiliaceae)
Gansari,Prolmango Fruits
Ripe ones eaten raw.
Hodgsonia macrocarpa (Blume) Cogn.
Kagoba, Thibe
Seeds
Cooked and eaten as vegetable.
(Curcurbitaceae)
Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (Saururaceae)
Jamyrdoh
Leaves
Eaten raw, also cooked as vegetable.
Medinilla erythrophylla Lindl. (Melastomaceae)
Megong aphal
Leaves
Cooked as vegetable.
Melastoma malabathricum L. (Melastomataceae)
Bol-Kakkhia
Fruits
Ripe fruits eaten raw.
Melodinus monogynus Roxb. (Apocynaceae)
Bakwe
Fruits
Orange coloured ones are eaten.
Meyna spinosa Roxb. ex Link (Rubiaceae)
Thieskine
Fruits
Ripe fruits eaten raw.
Mucuna bracteata DC. ex Kurz (Fabaceae)
Wakmi
Seeds
Cooked and eaten as vegetable.
Murraya koenigii (L.) Spreng. (Rutaceae)
Nolsing, Sam-khatsi Leaves
Cooked as vegetable.
Mussaenda roxburghii Hook.f. (Rubiaceae)
Gardek
Twigs
Young twigs cooked as vegetable.
Myrica esculenta Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don
Bol-sohlia
Fruits
Red to pink ones are sour, eaten with salt,
(Myricaceae)
sold in local market.
Neocinnamomum caudatum (Wall. ex Nees)
Makbil Teangk,
Fruits
Red fruits are eaten raw.
Merr. (Lauraceae)
Sami-jang
Nephrolepis cordifolia (L.) C.Presl
Shusni shak
Tubers
Matured tubers eaten raw.
(Nephrolepidaceae)
Oxalis corniculata L. (Oxalidaceae)
Khiakhna
Whole plants
Eaten raw, also cooked as vegetable.
Phlogacanthus thyrsiflorus (Roxb.)
Ellot
Inflorescence
Cooked as vegetable.
Nees (Acanthaceae)
Piper thomsonii (C.DC.) Hook.f. (Piperaceae)
Ashira
Leaves
Chewed raw.
Polygonum capitatum Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don
Sambodom-bong
Twigs
Cooked with potato as vegetable.
(Polygonaceae)
Polygonum nepalense Meisner (Polygonaceae)
Achiak
Tender shoots
Cooked as vegetable.
Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn (Pteridaceae)
Shatri
Tender fronds
Cooked in oil, sold in local markets.
Rubus alceifolius Poir. (Rosaceae)
Tikisambak
Fruits
Ripe fruits eaten raw.
Rubus rugosus Sm. (Rosaceae)
Thekhi-sambak
Fruits
Ripe fruits eaten raw.
Sarcochlamys pulcherrima (Roxb.) Gaud.
Mechaki
Tender shoots
Cooked with pork meat as vegetable.
(Urticaceae)
Saurauia nepaulensis DC. (Actinidiaceae)
Gungsning
Fruits
Ripe fruits eaten raw.
Sonchus aspera (L.) Hill (Asteraceae)
Thumbai
Leaves
Cooked as vegetable.
Sonchus wightianus DC. (Asteraceae)
Thumbai
Leaves
Young leaves eaten raw.
Stixis suaveolensa (Roxb.) Pierre (Capparaceae)
Narangchi
Fruits
Ripe fruits eaten raw.
Syzygium diospyrifolium (Wall. ex Duthie)
Panchual
Skins
Skin parts of matured fruits are peeled
S.N.Mitra (Myrtaceae)
and eaten.
Syzygium praecox (Roxb.) Rathakr. &
Jongchatchatbudu
Fruits
Ripe fruits eaten raw
N.C. Nair (Myrtaceae)
Thunbergia grandiflora Roxb. (Thunbergiaceae)
Khakkhu
Leaves
Cooked as vegetable.
Zanthoxylum rhetsa (Roxb.) DC. (Rutaceae)
Shumiccheng
Leaves
Cooked as vegetable.
169
Plate: (1) & (2) Local Garo market in NBR, (3) Fruit of Calamus erectus Roxb., (4) Debregeasia longifolia (Burm.f.) Wedd.,
(5) Amblyanthus glandulosus A.DC., (6) Syzygium diospyrifolium (Wall. ex Duthie) S.N.Mitra, (7) Baccaurea ramiflora Lour.,
(8) Rubus rugosus Sm., (9) Begonia roxburghii (Miq.) A.DC., (10) Amorphophallus bulbifera (Roxb.) Blume, (11) Ficus auriculata
Lour., (12) Houttuynia cordata Thunb
170
10
11
12
13
14
15
171