Skip to main content

Table 4 Traditional knowledge of prioritized leafy vegetables

From: Wild leafy vegetables: A study of their subsistence dietetic support to the inhabitants of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, India

Name

Distribution

Consuming

Doom Allium semnovii Regal.

Commonly occurs in moist alpine areas. While other Alliums are domesticated, this species is still collected from wild. Low in distribution.

While fresh leaves and bulbs are used along with potato for preparation of curry, dried leaf is used as medicine and condiment.

Jungli chaulai Amaranthus bilatum L

Commonly occurs in wild in addition to some domesticated plants which escaped to wild.

Leaves are boiled or cut leaves are fried in cooking oil with spices.

Bethua Chenopodium foliolosum Hook

Commonly occurs in wild in addition to some domesticated cultivars grown in kitchen gardens

Leaves are boiled or cut leaves are fried in cooking oil with spices.

Lingra Diplazium esculentum (Retz.) Sw.

Frequently occurs near most areas in open forest gaps and cultivated areas

Fresh immature fronds are wiped with a cloth to remove red petiolar hairs and boiled. Boiled fronds are cut and fried in cooking oil with spices such as seeds of Cleome viscosa L.

Dhol kanali Girardinia diversifolia (Link.) Friis.

Commonly occurs near to solid wastes and agricultural wastes and on crop field margins along with Princepia utilis L.

Fresh leaves are boiled and mashed to remove the stings. Mashed leaves are fried in cooking oil with spices. Occasionally mashed leaves are mixed with chickpea flour, balls prepared out of this mixture is fried in cooking oil and consumed as snack.

Barmau Megacarpaea polyandra Benth.

Generally grows under the canopy of Betula utilis L and Abies pindrow L trees in forests. Due to excessive collection pressure becoming rare in nature, but some villagers have started cultivation in kitchen garden.

Fresh leaves are boiled or fried in cooking oil with spices. Leaves are smoked by hanging them above cooking stoves and then stored for consumption during winters.

Chandra Paeonia emodi Wall. ex. Royle.

Generally grows in alpine grazing lands and forests near moist areas where Juglans regia L or Populas deltoides L is dominating.

Fresh leaves are boiled with spices. Cooked leaves are fermented and preserved as a leaf cake for lean period consumption.

Jagra Phytolacca acinosa Roxb.

Commonly grows near forest margins and on agricultural terrace raisers.

Fresh young leaves are collected and used only during March as mature leaves are said to have poisonous substances. Fresh leaves are boiled, mashed and fried in cooking oil with spices.

Payoom Rumex nepalensis Spreng.

Commonly grows near to water sources.

Fresh young leaves are boiled or fried in cooking oil with spices.

Puyanu Smilacina purpurea Wallich.

Commonly grows under Betula utilis L and Abies pindrow L forests.

Fresh leaves are boiled or fried in cooking oil with spices. For lean periods, leaves are air dried and the smoked by keeping the dried leaves in an earthen pot hanging above cooking area.