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An ethnobotanical analysis of parasitic plants (Parijibi) in the Nepal Himalaya - PubMed

  • ️Fri Jan 01 2016

An ethnobotanical analysis of parasitic plants (Parijibi) in the Nepal Himalaya

Alexander Robert O'Neill et al. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2016.

Abstract

Background: Indigenous biocultural knowledge is a vital part of Nepalese environmental management strategies; however, much of it may soon be lost given Nepal's rapidly changing socio-ecological climate. This is particularly true for knowledge surrounding parasitic and mycoheterotrophic plant species, which are well represented throughout the Central-Eastern Himalayas but lack a collated record. Our study addresses this disparity by analyzing parasitic and mycoheterotrophic plant species diversity in Nepal as well as the ethnobotanical knowledge that surrounds them.

Methods: Botanical texts, online databases, and herbarium records were reviewed to create an authoritative compendium of parasitic and mycoheterotrophic plant species native or naturalized to the Nepal Central-Eastern Himalaya. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted with 141 informants to better understand the biocultural context of these species, emphasizing ethnobotanical uses, in 12 districts of Central-Eastern Nepal.

Results: Nepal is a hotspot of botanical diversity, housing 15 families and 29 genera of plants that exhibit parasitic or mycoheterotrophic habit. Over 150 of the known 4500 parasitic plant species (~3 %) and 28 of the 160 mycoheterotrophic species (~18 %) are native or naturalized to Nepal; 13 of our surveyed parasitic species are endemic. Of all species documented, approximately 17 % of parasitic and 7 % of mycoheterotrophic plants have ethnobotanical uses as medicine (41 %), fodder (23 %), food (17 %), ritual objects (11 %), or material (8 %).

Conclusions: Parasitic and mycoheterotrophic plant species exhibit high diversity in the Nepal Central-Eastern Himalaya and are the fodder for biocultural relationships that may help inform future environmental management projects in the region.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1

Map of the Nepal Central Himalaya. Blue: Districts surveyed during our botanical and ethnobotanical fieldwork. Green: Districts where previous reports detailed the ethnobotanical uses of parasitic plants

Fig. 2
Fig. 2

Photographic record of some parasitic and mycoheterotrophic plants documented during our study. Panels a–c: Mycoheterotrophic plants native to Nepal, including Montropa uniflora and two orchid species found in Chitwan National Park known by the Tharu term chikhtaa. Panels d–f: Growth habit of prumai, or species in the Balanphoraceae (Panel d: Fruiting body of Rhopalocnemis phalloides: Panels e and f: Female and male inflorescence of Balanophora polyandra, respectively). Panels g–i: Growth habit of Cuscuta chinensis, Viscum album, and Cuscuta reflexa. Panels j–l: Different parasitic plant fruit consumed by our informants, including Cuscuta and two mistletoe species (Loranthaceae)

Fig. 3
Fig. 3

Total number of parasitic and mycoheterotrophic plant species found along Nepal’s altitudinal gradient. Parasitic and mycoheterotrophic species diversity is highly correlated with altitude (R2 = 0.8094), with greater species richness found in high-altitude zones (background image: [88])

Fig. 4
Fig. 4

Orobanche aegyptiaca, or bandaarphul (monkey flower), parasitizing Brassica oleracea in the Western Terai

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