Utilization pattern and conservation status of plant resources of Makawanpur district, central Nepal

Abstract

The study is focused to document angiospermic flora, utilization pattern of useful plant resources and assess in situ conservation status of selected useful plants. Freelisting and semi-structured interviews applied to document traditional knowledge (TK) on medicinal plants, wild edible plants and their uses among respondents from Bankaria, Newar and Tamang ethnic groups. Smith's salience index (SI), informant consensus factor (ICF) or informant agreement ratio (IAR), relative frequency of citation (RFC), and cultural importance index (CI) were used to compare cultural salience of plants. Altogether, 695 species belonging to 472 genera and 124 families of angiospermic plants were collected from the study area. Leguminosae was the dominant family with 60 species and Compositae was the second largest family. Merremia hirta (Linn.) Merr., a species belonging to Convolvulaceae was collected as new addition to the flora of Nepal. A total of 189 medicinal plants, 97 wild vegetables and 65 wild fruits and nuts were documented, of which, 12 medicinal plants were found to be new method of use for the treatment of diseases. Two wild vegetables were found new addition for useful plants of Nepal. Tamang and Bankaria ethnic groups have better knowledge of utilization of medicinal and wild edible plants than the Newar ethnic group. Highest RFC and CI values were found for Urtica dioica, Swertia chirayita, Bergenia ciliata, and Centella asiatica, while SI values were highest for Terminalia alata, Phyllanthus emblica and Astilbe rivularis. The ICF values highlighted that the medicinal plants were commonly used for treating digestive system, infections/infestations and pregnancy/birth disorders. Similarly, Diplazium esculentum, Dryopteris cochleata, Tectaria coadunata, Amaranthus lividus, and Dioscorea hamiltonii are the most commonly used wild vegetables; whereas Myrica esculenta, Rubus ellipticus, Aegle marmelos, Choerospondias axillaris, and Diploknema butyracea are commonly used wild fruits. Based on rapid vulnerability assessment (RVA), 12 species such as Bergenia ciliata, Dioscorea deltoidea, Asparagus racemosus, Paris polyphylla, Podophyllum hexandrum, Aconitum spicatum, Didymocarpus pedicillatus, Aconitum laciniatum, Astilbe rivularis, Cucurligo orchioides, Rauvolfia serpentia, and Swertia chirayita were found to be highly vulnerable medicinal plants. This study contributes to the documentation of utilization pattern and conservation status of useful plant resources of Makawanpur district. The useful plant resources play a significant role in the medicine, income generation and nutrition of local communities. However, more research is needed in pharmacological screening and nutritional values of less known medicinal and edible plants for value addition.