Review

Edible and Economic Plants of Sriharikota Island,
Andhra Pradesh

*R. Bharath Kumar and B.Surya Narayana

Abstract

Yanadies is a natural tribe inhabitating at Sriharikota Island. They are said to have migrated from Malaya Peninsula, Africa or Australia. Since the time of establishment of Rocket Launching Station at Sriharikota Island in Andhra Pradesh, their way of life is very much drifted from traditional habits and co-existence with environment. It is an urgent need to collect and record bio-ethnic data related to involvement of botany in their living habits. With this view, an intensive study on Ethno-Botany of Sriharikota Island is taken up for two years since 1996. During these studies a good number of plants are collected and data regarding their uses by local tribals for food, furniture, fodder, pharmacy and many other economic uses are recorded. However in this paper 100 wild species only are enumerated along with ethnic ethnic uses.

Out of the plants listed quite a few species are endemic, ephemeral and rare, such as Butea monosperma, Capparis brevispina, C. rotundifolia, Polyalthia korintii and Veteveria ziznaioides. Since they are the components of eco-gene pool niche, to avoid degradation and undesirable exploitation, they need to be conserved.

*Corrsponding Author :drbharathravuru@gmail.com