Ethnobotanical Uses of Wild Edible Fruits of Vitaceae in Kerala
Rani Joseph *
Department of Botany, St. Berchmans College, Changanassery, Kottayam, Kerala, 686101, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Fruit is a ripened ovary usually developed as a result of flower being pollinated. Plants are cultivated as well as wild, mainly cultivated fruits are grown by farmers for economical value while utility of wild fruits are occurring only in their natural habitat. As population increases the areas of plantation and forest used for human welfare, so wild edible plants lost their identity and decrease in their number. The objective of the study is to analyse ethnobotanically important edible fruits of Vitaceae in Kerala. Wild fruiting plants are major in numbers in Kerala which are not affected by human interaction due to their difficult geographic and climatic conditions which is not suitable for human survival. Vitaceae family includes 5 genus belonging to Kerala that are ethnobotanically very significant and edible.
Keywords: Wild fruit, Kerala, ethnobotany