Exploration and Documentation of Wild Edible Vegetables Used for Health Benefit By Rural People of Motala Taluka of Buldhana District, Maharashtra (India).

Abstract

Wild edible plants denote species that are collected from their wild natural habits and used as food for human consumption. Present study concerns an exploration of such wild edibles from Motala taluka region. About 44 different wild vegetables contributed to 28 families scored during the study. These seasonal and annual vegetables make part of the regular diet of local peoples. Maximum vegetables belonged to Amaranthaceae (9.09%) family followed by Fabaceae (6.81%), Caesalpiniaceae (6.81%), Malvaceae (4.54%), Rutaceae (4.54%), Liliaceae (4.54%), Asclepiadaceae (4.54%), Asteraceae (4.54%) and Tiliaceae (4.54%). While the remaining 18 families i.e. Araceae, Basellaceae, Capparidaceae, Apocynaceae, Ehretiaceae, Poaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Ebenaceae, Gentianaceae, Moraceae, Periplocaceae, Sapotaceae, Moringaceae, Cactaceae, Portulacaceae, Anacardiaceae, Zygophyllaceae and Rhamnaceae contribute only 2.27 %. The present study will provide visibility to these wild nutritional crops and encourage their further evaluation for possible nutritional profits.