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Wild edible plants consumed by different ethnic groups of Nepal- A review

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Author Affiliations

  • 1Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Pokhara, Nepal
  • 2Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Pokhara, Nepal
  • 3Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Pokhara, Nepal

Res. J. Agriculture & Forestry Sci., Volume 9, Issue (2), Pages 52-64, April,8 (2021)

Abstract

Nepal is rich in floral and ethnic diversity although it is a small country. Wild plants are collected and used for edible purposes by ethnic groups of Nepal for a long period. Wild edible plants have a noteworthy role in food security and income generation for the rural ethnic peoples of developing countries. Very few researches have been carried out on wild edible plants of Nepal. Our study attempts to review and compile research articles on wild edible plants consumed by different ethnic groups of Nepal. Altogether 36 published articles accessed through Research Gate and Google Scholar were studied. A total of 261 wild edible plant species from 101 families were found to be consumed by 23 ethnic groups of Nepal. The maximum numbers of plants (154 species) from 72 families were used for vegetables. Ethnic knowledge of most of the ethnic groups on wild edible plants is still unexplored in Nepal. Traditional knowledge on uses of wild edible plants is degrading because of the modernization and socio-cultural changes; hence proper documentation of ethnobotanical knowledge on wild edible plants is required.

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