Characterisation of the Dicotyledonous Wild Edible Plants of The District of Bardhaman, West Bengal

Abstract

The paper aims to document the traditional knowledge about wild edible plants of the Bardhaman district of West Bengal, India with special reference to the dicotyledons. During the present investigation, a total of 44 species of dicotyledonous wild edible plants belonging to 42 genera and 27 families (sensu Takhtajan, 2009) have been inventorised. Among them 19 are trees, 11 are herbs, 7 are shrubs and 7 are climbers. Majority of the species are fruit-bearing (28). Some edible plants have great economic value and are linked with the socio-economic development of the rural people of the district. Some other species may be introduced in the agroforestry systems, which could become the potential photosynthetic pool to counter environmental degradation.