“ETHNOBOTANICAL DOCUMENTATION OF WILD TUBERS AND

ROOTS
USED BY KANI TRIBES OF PERINGAMMALA GRAMA
PANCHAYATH, KERALA”

ANOOJ. S. L
M.Phil scholar Department of Botany, University of Kerala,
Kariavattom ,Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala-695581.
e-mail:-anoojsl@gmail.com
 CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION
2. OBJECTIVES
3. MATERIALS AND METHODS
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
5. CONCLUSION
6. REFERENCES
7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
INTRODUCTION:-
 India has a rich biodiversity with a wide variety of plants, especially the
Southern Western Ghats region are well known for their indigenous wealth
of plant genetic resources and permit the indigenous people to use these
resources to an extent.
 Southern Western Ghats has rich floral diversity of wild roots and tubers; in
this region, several tribal communities also use wild root and tuber crops as
food and medicine.
 Roots and tubers are Nature's treasures, they have a great potential to
provide sources of dietary energy. They are the most important food crops in
the world after cereals and legumes.
 The Western Ghats of Kerala is a great emporium and repository of
ethnobotanical wealth and holds a rich genetic diversity of tropical tuber and
root crops viz. Dioscorea,Yams, Aroids and several other minor tuber crops.
STUDY AREA
 Nature has blessed the Peringammala Gramapanchayath with a rich
botanical and ethnomedicinal wealth. Peringammala Grama Panchayath is
situated between north latitudes 8°17' and 8°54' and east longitudes 76°41'
and 77°17'. It is the second-largest panchayath in Kerala, with an area of
217.94 Sq.Km. . The vast majority 68% of the protected forest area .
Peringammala is the biggest panchayath in the Thiruvananthapuram district
and is the second-largest in the state of Kerala.(Fig-1)
 Kanikaran or Kanis are the major inhabitants of this Block. Kani are
traditionally a nomadic community and speak Tamil and Malayalam as their
language.
 They are living in several tribal hamlets, each consisting of 5–20 families.
PERINGAMMALA GRAMAPANCHAYATH MAP
• 1.Vittikkavu
• 2. Venkittamoodu
• 3. Konnamoodu
• 4. Muthikkani
• 5. Njaraneeli
• 6. Ilanchiyam
• 7. Vattakkarikkakam
• 8. Kattilakkuzhy
• 9. Iyyakkod
• 10. Kallana
• 11. Aalummoodu
• 12. Pottomavu
• 13. Kalayapuram
• 14. Panniyottukadavu
• 15. Oruparakarikkakam
• 16.Thannimoodu
• 17. Pampuchatha mannu
STUDY AREA
 ETHNOBOTANICAL DOCUMENTATION

It is a study or comparison of the traditional

knowledge by various ethnic groups, and especially
by indigenous peoples, or study of ethnic groups
and their use of food and drugs.
 Why Systematic Ethno-
Botanical Documentation ?

 Scientific investigation of medicinal and food plants

is essential because of their contribution to
healthcare. It is also necessary to document the
information about the knowledge of traditional Food
and medicines before it is lost permanently. Various
ethno botanical studies have been reported to expose
the knowledge from the various tribal’s of India
 Objectives

To survey and identify the wild edible tuber and root

crops  used by the Kani Tribs of Peringammala
Gramapanchayath.

To document the traditional knowledge and use of the

tubers and root crops for health benefits along with the
mode of administration. 

To development a database of ethno botanically important

wild edible tuber and root plants of Peringammala
Gramapanchayath.
MATERIALS AND
METHODS
Survey and documentation:- By field visit and survey method. Field
Survey carried out during 2019 December – 2020 march. Ethno
botanical data collected through systematic documentation, Focus group
discussions and Semi-structured interviews.
Assessment of local availability status of plant species done by
quadrate method   :-
Number of quadrates in which the species occurred
%Frequency (F) = ---------------------------------------------------------------- X 100
Total number of quadrates examined

Total number of individuals of a species in all the quadrates

Density (D) = ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of quadrates examined
 
Total number of individuals of a species in all quadrates
Relative Density (RD) = -----------------------------------------------------------------------X 100
Total number of individuals of all species in all quadrates
 DATA SHEETS ON WILD TUBERS AND ROOTS CROPS
(I) INFORMANTS PROFILE
 
Name of the village …………………..…………..……………… Tribe: …………..…………
 
Sl.No. Name Sex (M/F) Age Occupation

1. Local/Vernacular name……………………………Collection No.……………

2. Plant identified as …………….. (Botanical name)……………….……………
3. Community: (Kani)
4. Habit of the plant (Tree/Shrub/Herbs/Climber/Creeper/Others)
5. Part(s) of plant used ……………………….:
6. Mode of uses: ………………………………………………………………………
7. Route of administration (i) External (ii) Oral (iii ) Nasal (iv) Ear/eye
8. Availability period
(i) From …………………… to ………………… (Mention name of the months)
(ii) Round the year
9. Local availability status:
a. Abundant b. Common c. Not so common d. Rare
10. Medicinal food remedy if any: (Yes/Not) ……………………………… (specify)
(III) INFORMANTS DECLARATION

We, the above mentioned hereby willingly accepted to participate in this study with our full consent and declare that the
information and knowledge provided to Mr.Anooj sl during the course of interview and discussion is to the best of our
knowledge and is accurate and complete.
 
Date: …………………
 
Name & signature
 PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS

 .
Qualitative analysis
Preliminary phytochemical screening using standard protocols

Quantitative analysis

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS

 Estimation of total carbohydrates (Anthrone method)

 Estimation of total proteins (Bradford method)
 Estimation of total lipids (Bligh and Dyer,1959)
 Determination of fat content - (Min, D.B. and Steenson, D.F., 1998).
 Estimation of ascorbic acid (Rao, B. and Deshpande, V., 2006)
 Determination of moisture content (AOAC, 1975)
MINERAL ANALYSIS 
Determination of sodium, potassium and calcium (Flame photometry)
ANTI- NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS
 Oxalate (AOAC, 1900)
 Saponins (AOAC,1984)
 Estimation of total phenolics (Malik and Singh).

DETERMINATION OF ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY 

 DPPH radical scavenging assay 

DPPH reacts with a hydrogen donor of antioxidant/reducing compound (sample get reduced) Colour change from deep violet to light yellow.

Test samples treated various concentrations (62.5, 125, 250, 500, 1000 μg/ml). The tubes were kept in the dark for 15 minutes at room temperature, and the decrease in absorbance was

measured at 515 nm
𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝟎𝐦𝐢𝐧 − 𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭
•𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 of 𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 = ------------------------------------------------------------------------X 100 A𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝟏𝟓𝐦𝐢n
TRIBES OF PERINGAMMALA PANCHAYATHU
 RESULT

 Baseline survey was done in the 20 settlements of the Gramapanchayath.

A total of 148 families were surveyed. The data were collected with the
help of questionnaire .
Demographic profile of the studied Kani tribes of Peringammala Panchayath

Age group No. of Respondents Total Percentage(%)

number
Male Female

20-30 6 9 15 9.80
31-40 3 13 16 10.45
41-50 16 10 26 16.99
51-60 13 20 33 21.56

61-70 13 23 36 23.25
71-80 8 14 22 14.37
81-90 2 3 5 3.26
 DIVERSITY AND ENUMERATION OF ETHNO BOTANICAL PLANTS

Plant list

Botanical name Common Family Habit Part used Ethno

name botanical
uses
Abrus precatorius L. Vellakkunni Fabaceae S Root M
Adenia hondala (Gaertner) Passifloraceae PalMuthakku C Tuber FM
de Wilde
Abutilon indicum (L.) Oorppam Malvaceae S Root M
Acorus calamus L. Vayambu araceae H Rhizome M
Alocasia macrorrhizos (L.) Madantha Araceae H Rhizome FM
G.Don
Alpinia calcarata (Haw.) Kolinji Zingiberaceae H Rhizome M
Roscoe
Amorphophallus  Kattu chena Araceae H Rhizome FM
commutatus (Schott) Engl.
Aristolochia tagala Cham Valiyaarayan Aristolochiace C Root M
ae
Asparagus racemosus Willd. Sathavari Liliaceae C Tuber M
Boerhavia diffusa L. Thazhuthama Nyctaginaceae H Root M
Colocasia esculenta (L.) Chembu Araceae H Rhizome F
Schott
Costus speciosus (J.Koenig) Channakoova Zingiberaceae H Rhizome M
Sm.
Curculigo orchioides Gaertn. Nilappana Hypoxidaceae H Rhizome M
Curcuma amada Roxb. Mangainchi Zingiberaceae H Rhizome FM
Curcuma aromatica Salisb. Kasthurimanjal Zingiberaceae H Rhizome FM
Curcuma longa L Zingiberaceae H Rhizome FM
Curcuma zanthorrhiza Roxb.  Manjakoova Zingiberaceae H Rhizome M,
Cyclea peltata (Lam.) Hook.f. Padathali Menispermaceae C Rhizome M
& Thomson
Cyperus rotundus L.. Muthanga Cyperacea H Tuber M
Desmodium gangeticum (L.) Orila Fabaceae S Root M
DC.
Dioscorea alata L. Kachil Dioscoreaceae C Tuber F
Dioscorea esculenta (Lour.) Mukkizhang, Dioscoreaceae C Tuber F
Burkill Nanakizhangu
Dioscorea hispida Dennst. Panii kizhangu Dioscoreaceae C Tuber F
Dioscorea oppositifolia L PInnan Dioscoreaceae C Tuber F
Dioscorea pentaphylla L. Nooran Dioscoreaceae C Tuber F
Dioscorea pubera Blume Neduooli Dioscoreaceae C Tuber F
Dioscorea tomentosa J.Koe Nooli Dioscoreaceae C Tuber F
nig ex Spreng.
Dioscorea sp Neduvan Dioscoreaceae C Tuber F
Drynaria quercifolia (L.) J. Panni Polypodiaceae H Tuber FM
Sm. kizhangu ,
mathil panna
Gloriosa superba L. Menthonni Liliaceae CH Tuber FM
Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R. Narunandi Periplocaceae H Tuber FM
Br. ex Schult.
Holostemma ada- Adapathiyan Periplocaceae H Rhizome M
kodien Schult. 
Ipomoea mauritiana Jacq.  Muthalakizhan Convolulaceae C Tuber M
gu
Kaempferia galanga L. Kacholam Zingiberacea H Rhizome M
Manihot esculenta Crantz Maracheeni Euphorbiaceae S Tuber F
Maranta arundinacea L. Koovva Marantaceae H Rhizome F
Naravelia zeylanica (L.) Mookkilpodi Ranuculaceae CH Root M
DC. valli
Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn Thamara Nelumbonacea H Root F,M
e Tuber
Ophiorrhiza mungos L. Rubiaceae H Root M
Pseudarthria viscida (L.) Moovila Fabaceae S Root M
Wight & Arn. 
Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Sarpagandhi Apocynaceae H Root M
Benth. ex Kurz
Ricinus communis L.  Aavannakku Euphorbiaceae S Root M
Rubia cordifolia L. Manjetti Rubiaceae C Root M
Sida acuta Burm.f. Kurunthotti Malvaceae S Root M
Stereospermum chelonoides (L Pathiri Bignoniaceae T Root M
.f.) DC.
Vigna vexillata (L.) A.Rich Kattupayar Fabaceae H Tuber M
Zingiber neesanum (J.Graham) Kattukolinchi Zingiberaceae H Rhizome M
Ramamoorthy
 Zingiber officinale Roscoe Enji Zingiberaceae H Rhizome FM
Zingiber wightianum Thwaites Malayinchi Zingiberaceae H Rhizome M
Zingiber zerumbet (L.) J.E. kolinchi Zingiberaceae H Rhizome M
Smith
 Enumeration of plants

Scientific Name : Adenia hondala (Gaertn.) De

Wilde
Family : PASSIFLORACEAE
Tribal name(s) : Karimuthukku , Kannadaku
Habit : Climbing shrub
Place of occurrence : Panniyottukadavu
Tribal claims / uses : Food- Cooked tuber can
be used as food
Medicinal - Root for skin
troubles Consumption

Edibility rating : 38%

Medicinal rating : 65%
Scientific Name : Dioscorea hispida Dennst.
Family : Dioscoreaceae
Local name(s) : Podava-kizhangu,
kayppakizhangu
Habit : Climber
Distribution : South and South East Asia
Place of occurrence : Panniyottukadavu,Kallana
Medicinal Uses : Used in piles and Dysentery
Tribal claims / uses : Tubers are cut in
to small pieces and boiled in
water, water is decanted,
cooked and used as food
Edibility rating : 21%
Medicinal rating : Nil
Scientific Name : Dioscorea pentaphylla L.
Family : Dioscoreaceae
Local name(s) : nooran Kizhangu
Habit : Climber
Distribution : Indo-Malesia and China
Place of occurrence : Panniyottukadavu,Kallana
Tribal claims / uses Food : Tubers are cut into small
pieces and boiled or fried before being consumed.
Medicinal : Tuber is used as a tonic and to treat
digestive disorders as well as rheumatic swellings.
Edibility rating 100%
Medicinal ratin%g 59 %
 FAMILY ABUNDANCE
12
11

10

8
8

4
4
33 33

22 22 22 22
2
11 11 11 11 11 1 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11

0
ae ae e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e
e e ea cea cea cea cea cea cea cea cea cea cea cea cea cea cea cea cea cea cea
ac ac a c
ia la ra ora bia ba ida illia lva nta rma lora ona ina oca ula bia era
yn Ar loc on olu pe r a x a l
oc to ign nv c o F po
L a
ar spe ssi
f b g uc Ru gib
p is Cy
io s ph y
M
i m ycta erip an n
A A r B Co D Eu H M
en Pa
el
u
N P R Zi
M N

Genus species
 Assessment of local availability status of plants
Sl Name of Species Number of quadrates employedin the study (Q) (Size 80x 20m) Total No. % of
No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 no. of of Frequ
indivi q.in ency Relativ
duals. which e
(V) the =N/Q Density
sp. is x100 (RD)V/
pres S x100
nt (N)

1 Abrus precatorius L. 7 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 9 3 0 9 1 36 8 40 2.77

2 Adenia hondala 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 3 15
(Gaertner) de Wilde 0.30

3 Abutilon indicum (L.) 0 0 4 0 0 0 11 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 0 1 0 0 7 29 6 30 2.23

4 Acorus calamus L. 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 29 6 30 2.23
5 Alocasia macrorrhizos (L. 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 3 0 0 7 0 0 0 2 0 18 6 30
) G.Don 1.38

6 Alpinia calcarata (Haw.) 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 8 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 33 4 20
Roscoe 2.54

7 Aristolochia tagala Cham 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 1 12 3 15 0.92
8 Asparagus racemosus Wil 9 0 0 0 2 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 21 8 40
ld. 1.62

9 Boerhavia diffusa L. 4 0 0 0 5 0 2 0 0 6 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 7 0 0 22 6 30 1.69
10 Colocasia esculenta (L.) 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 2 0 0 16 5
Schott 1.23

11 Costus speciosus (J.Koeni 9 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 2 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 28 5 25
g) Sm. 2.1
12 Curculigo orchioides Ga 0 0 0 14 8 0 0 40 0 0 0 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 77 5 25
ertn. 5.94

13 Curcuma amada Roxb. 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 2 0 1 0 0 8 0 0 0 4 23 5 25
1.77

14 Curcuma aromatica Sali 8 0 0 9 0 0 12 0 0 14 0 0 0 7 0 0 16 0 0 4 70 7 35
sb. 5.4

15 Curcuma longa L 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 4 0 6 7 0 46 6 30 3.54
16 Curcuma zanthorrhiza R 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 6 2 4 1 2 25 8 40
oxb.  1.92

17 Cyclea peltata (Lam.) 2 0 1 6 1 2 0 9 0 2 0 0 4 0 2 0 1 0 2 1 31 12 60
Hook.f. & Thomson 2.3

19 Cyperus rotundus L.. 5 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 2 7 0 2 0 4 0 4 2 0 1 32 10 50 2.4
20 Desmodium gangeticum  4 0 0 3 0 8 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 4 7 0 7 37 8 40
(L.) DC. 2.8

21 Dioscorea alata L. 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 17 3 15 1.31

22 Dioscorea esculenta (Lo 0 1 7 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 6 0 0 7 0 0 0 31 6 30
ur.) Burkill 2.3

23 Dioscorea hispida 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 8 5 25
Dennst. 0.61

24 Dioscorea oppositifolia  1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 6 5 25
L 0.46
25 Dioscorea pentaphyll 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 13 7 35
a L. 1.00

26 Dioscorea pubera Bl 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 25
ume 0.38

27 Dioscorea tomentosa 0 5 0 8 0 0 6 4 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 4 0 7 0 0 42 7 35
 J.Koenig ex Spreng.
3.24

28 Dioscorea wallichii 4 0 0 0 5 0 1 0 0 0 7 1 0 0 5 1 0 0 4 0 28 8 40
Hook. f. 2.16

29 Drynaria quercifolia  4 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 2 22 6 30
(L.) J. Sm. 1.69

30 Gloriosa superba L. 2 0 0 1 0 2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 12 5 25
0.92

31 Hemidesmus indicus  2 5 0 0 6 0 3 0 4 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 33 7 35
(L.) R. Br. ex Schult.
2.54

32 Holostemma ada- 0 1 0 6 0 0 2 7 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 22 7 35
kodien Schult.  1.6
33 Ipomoea mauritiana 2 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 2 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 17 5 25
 Jacq.  1.31

34 Kaempferia galanga 8 0 6 0 3 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 6 0 0 12 0 17 0 52 7 35
4.01
L.
35 Manihot esculenta C 0 0 0 0 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 0 29 2 10
2.23
rantz
36 Maranta arundinace 3 0 0 1 2 2 1 0 7 0 0 0 4 0 0 7 0 0 0 2 29 9 45
a L. 2.23

37 Naravelia zeylanica  1 0 0 5 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 13 5 25
(L.) DC. 1.00

38 Nelumbo nucifera G 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 1 9 3 15
aertn 0.69

39 Ophiorrhiza mungos 12 0 0 3 0 0 0 9 0 4 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 1 0 34 6 30
 L. 2.6
40 Pseudarthria viscida (L.) 0 2 0 0 0 5 0 0 7 0 0 0 4 8 0 0 0 2 0 0 28 6 30
Wight & Arn.  2.1

41 Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) 5 0 0 7 0 2 0 0 0 4 0 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 24 7 35
Benth. ex Kurz 1.85

42 Ricinus communis L.  0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 2 10 0.69
43 Rubia cordifolia L. 0 4 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 21 4 20 1.62
44 Sida acuta Burm.f. 3 2 0 0 4 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 4 0 0 24 6 30 1.85
45 Stereospermum chelonoid 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 20
es (L.f.) DC. 0.30

46 Vigna vexillata (L.) 0 0 0 7 4 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 27 4 20
A.Rich 2.08

47 Zingiber neesanum (J.Gra 0 4 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 12 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 4 20
ham) Ramamoorthy
2.00

48  Zingiber officinale Rosc 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 15 5 25
oe 1.15

49 Zingiber wightianum Th 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 16 4 20
waites 1.23

50 Zingiber zerumbet (L.) 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 0 6 29 5 25

J.E. Smith 2.23

Total number 118 34 37 10 73 62 53 11 55 68 58 33 69 47 63 70 84 55 56 43

8 0 1296
 Phytochemical, Nutritional and Antioxidant Studies.
The investigation identified six species of Diascorea sp that are mostly used
as food as well as medicine and also available abundantly in the study area. These
species viz ,
 ,

,
D.oppositifolia
D hispida
D. alata

D.esculenta D.Sp D.pentaphylla

 Qualitative analysis of Phytochemical constituents of selected plant species
Sl Test Sample
No Phyto Chemicals A B C D E F

Petroleum ether + + + + + +
1 Carbohydrate Methanol + + + + + +
Water + + + + + +
2 Petroleum ether + + + + + +
Protein Methanol + + + + + +
Water
Petroleum ether + + + + + +
3 Alkaloid Methanol + + + + + +
Water + + + + + +
Petroleum ether + + + + + +
4 Methanol
Phenol
Water
Petroleum ether + + + + + +
Tannin Methanol + + + + + +
5
Water + + + + - -
6 Petroleum ether + + + + + +
Flavonoid Methanol +
Water + + + + + +
7 Petroleum ether - - - - - -
Saponin Methanol - + + - - +
Water + + + + +
 NUTRITION ANALYSIS

Parameters A B C D E F
Moisture content % 82.17 87.57 74 84.48 86.61 89.51
Carbohydrate g/100g 9.2 3.2 3.86 7.1 4.2 3.74
Crude Protein g/100g 7.8 11 8.2 6.8 8.3 12.2
Fat g/100g 10.2 4.3 8.1 2.3 3.7 4.1
Total lipid g/100g 4.9 3.9 5.2 5.1 5.8 3.1
Ascorbic Acid .0738 .0812 .0879 .0892 .0911 .0897
g/100g

A-D. alata L.,B –D.esculenta ,C- D hispida D- D.oppositifolia ,E –D.pentaphylla  F-D.Sp (Neduvan)

 ANTI NUTRITIONAL STUDY

0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5
g/100g

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
A B C D E F

A-D. alata L.,B –D.esculenta ,C- D hispida D- D.oppositifolia ,E –D.pentaphylla F-D.Sp

 MINARAL STUDY

1800
1600
1400
1200
mg/100g

1000
800
600
400
200
0
A B C D E F

A-D. alata.,B–D.esculenta ,C- D hispida D- D.oppositifolia ,E–D.pentaphylla F-D.Spp

 Antioxidant Activity
90

80

70

60
Rate of inhibition

50

40

30

20

10

0
D. alata D. esculenta  D. hispida D. oppositifolia  D. pentaphylla  D. sp
Dioscorea pubera Blume Cyclea peltata (Lam.) Hook. f. & Thoms.
Tuber Preparation
 conclusion

 The people of Peringammala gramapanchaythu rich knowledge on use of

wild edible tuber plant species.
 The study provides empirical evidence about traditional knowledge and
diversity of Wild Edible tuber Plants.
 Several wild tubers can benefit local people not only as food, but also with
their medicinal properties.
 The socio-economic, cultural, traditional, and nutritional aspects of wild-
tuber plants still lacks adequate attention.
 The present work has focused on t he tribal communities that are
dependent on wild tuber foods and other forest resources.
 ABSTRACT
• This paper is based on the wild Nutritious food
plant resources used by the Kani tribs. The present study
was conducted in Peringammala Grama Panchayath of
Thiruvananthapuram district. Kani tribs are mostly lived
in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts. Most of the
peoples depended on the traditional plants for food and
medicine. They have very good knowledge for the wild
Nutritious food resources. Peringammala grama
panchayath is a rich sources for wild nutritional food and
medicinal plants. The wild Nutritious food plants used by
Kani tribes are arranged alphabetically followed by
botanical name, vernacular name, parts used and mode of
preparation. A total of 25 wild tuber plant resources were
enumerated during the survey.
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