STUDIES ON PLANT SPECIES USED BY TRIBAL COMMUNITIES OF KALSUBAI AND BHIMASHANKAR FORESTS, MAHARASHTRA

B. S. Deshmukh; Sharayu D. Sathe

Volume : IX, Issue : II, February - 2020

STUDIES ON PLANT SPECIES USED BY TRIBAL COMMUNITIES OF KALSUBAI AND BHIMASHANKAR FORESTS, MAHARASHTRA

B. S. Deshmukh, Sharayu D. Sathe

Abstract :

The paper deals with the ethno-medico-botany of plant species of Kalsubai and Bhimashankar forests, North West parts of Ahmednagar and Pune district, situated in Sahyadri ranges of Western Ghats region in Maharashtra. The forests are moist deciduous including some evergreen patches and have great potentiality both from economic and botanical point of view. A floristic survey in the tribal area of Kalsubai (361.71 sq. km.) and Bhimashankar (130.78 sq. km.) forests was conducted over the period of last two years to assess the potentiality of plant resources for modern treatments.About 78 plant species from different families used by the tribal�s for their economic as well as medicinal uses in curing various diseases have been enumerated. Highly represented families were Amaranthaceae, Apocynaceae, Asclepidaceae, Bignonaceae, Cometaceae, Mimosaceae, Moraceae, Papilionaceae and Verbinaceae. The information provided in this paper on ethno-botanical and medicinal uses of plants is based on the exhaustive interviews with local physicians practising indigenous system of medicine, village headmen, vaidya and elder persons of various tribal folks/groups (Jain, 1995). Investigation revealed that, the traditional healers and the inhabitants use several plants to treat diseases like diabetics, asthma, and malaria and associated complications. Information on economic and medicinal utilization of plant species including their family, scientific name local name and plant parts used has been presented.