Flora of Nepal explained

The flora of Nepal is one of the richest in the world due to the diverse climate, topology and geography of the country. Research undertaken in the late 1970s and early 1980s documented 5067 species of which 5041 were angiosperms and the remaining 26 species were gymnosperms.[1] The Terai area has hardwood, bamboo, palm, and sal trees.[2] Notable plants include the garden angelica, Luculia gratissima, Meconopsis villosa, and Persicaria affinis. However, according to ICOMOS checklist (as of 2006), in the protected sites, there are 2,532 species of vascular plants under 1,034 genera and 199 families. The variation in figures is attributed to inadequate floral coverage filed studies.[3] Some of the plants contain medicinal values. It contains certain chemical which is used to heal wound by There are 400 species of vascular plants which are endemic to Nepal. Of these, two in particular are orchids Pleione coronaria and Oreorchis porphyranthes. The most popular endemic plant of Nepal is rhododendron (arboreum) which in Nepali language is called lali guras.[4]

Human consumption

93% of human diet depend upon plants and remaining 7% of food rely on animals that directly or indirectly depends upon plants.[5] Nepalese people consume plants according to the geographical structure of Nepal. Human consume seed, root, whole plants, flower as their food.[6]

Seeds

Seeds consumed in Nepal usually are:[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

Leaves

Leaves consumed in Nepal usually includes:[14] [15] [16] [17]

Fruits

Fruits of Nepal usually includes:[18] [19] [20] [21]

Roots

Some of the roots consumed as food in Nepal are:[22] [23]

Medical usage

Plants were the main source of therapy till the middle of the 19th century. More than 50% of world population depends on traditional medicine.[24] There are between 1600 and 1900 plant species present in Nepal, and a large variety of them are frequently used in traditional medical practices. These plants are used for their medical benefits and have a profound cultural impact on the nation.[25] The oldest repository that is known to record the medicinal plants used in the Himalayas is known as Rigveda (4500 BC and 1600 BC), which explained the medical usage of 67 plants. The Ayurveda (the foundation of science of life and the art of healing of Hindu culture) explain the therapeutic properties of 1200 plants.[26]

!S.N!Scientific Name(family)!English Name!Nepali Name!Part!Usage
1.Abies spectabilis(Pinaceae)Himalayan sallaGobre sallaleavesused to cure cough and cold[27]
2.Acacia catechu(Mimosaceae)Cutch treeKhairwoodused to cure cough and cod
3.Aconitum Ferox (Ranunculaceae)Himalayan monkshookBikhrootspaste is used for joint pain
4.Aconitum heterophyllum(Ranunculaceae)AconitesBishrhizomeused to cure fever, body ache cold, cough, running nose etc.
5.Aesculus indica(Sapindaceae)Indian horse chestnutKaruseedoil extracted from seed is used for joint pain skin
6.Ageratum conyzoides(Asteraceae)AgeratumGandhe Jharleafjuice extracted is applied to cure wounds.docoction is also use for diarrhea, dysentery etc.
7.Amaranthus spinosus(Amaranthaceae)Prickly amaranthBagani dhaprootpaste is applied to heal cuts and wounds
8.Andrographis paniculata(Acanthaceae)KalmeghKariyatwhole plantPlant juice is used to cure infections
9.Acorus calamus L.(Araceae)Sweet flagBojhorootpaste is used to heal wounds in cattles [28]
10.Ageratum conyzoides L.(Asteraceae)Goat weedGandhe jharleafjuice is used to cure wounds
11.Aloe Barbadensis Miller Asphodelaceae(Lilaceae)Aloe veraGhiu kumarileafgel extracted from leaf is applied to heal wounds[29] [30]
12.Artemisia dubia Wall. ex Besser (Asteraceae)MugwortTitepatileaf and rhizomeapplied on wounds to stop bleeding[31]
13.Azadirachta indica A. Juss(Meliaceae)MargosaNeemleafleaf decoction is applied to wounds of cattle and human
14.Cannabis sativa L.(Cannabineae)HempBhangLeafextracted juice from leaf applied to wounds
15.Centella Asiatical(l.) Urb.PennywortGhodtapreleafjuice is used to treat wounds
16.Curcuma Augustifolia Roxb. (Zingiberaceae)TurmericBesharrootpaste made of turmeric powder and oil is applied to wounds
17.Cynodon dactylon(L.) Pers.(Poaceae)Bermuda grassDubowhole plantpaste of whole plant is applied to wounds
18.Jatropha curcas L.(Euphoriaceae)Physic nutSaruwaLatexLatex is used to care gums infection[32]
19.Ocimum tenuflorum L.(Lamiaceae)Holy basilTulashileafleaf juice is applied to wounds
20.Oxalis corniculata L. (Oxalidaceae)Indian sorrelChari amiloplantthe juice of the plant is applied to heal wounds

Spices

Herbs and spices are food additives used to enhance taste, color, aroma and to preserve food. Most of the spices have health benefits and are used as traditional medicine.[33] Following are the list of plants used as spices

!S.N!Scientific Name(Family)!English Name!Nepali Name!part use as spices
1.Acorus calamus L.(Acoraceae)Sweet flagBojoleaves, steam and rhizomes
2.Allium hypsistum stearn(Amarylidaceae)JimbuJimbhuDried leaves
3.Allium sativum L.(Amarylidaceae)GarlicLasunLeaves and cloves[34]
4.Allium cepa L.(Amarylidaceae)OnionPyajLeaf and bulb[35]
5.Amomum subulatum Roxb.(Zingiberaceae)Black cardamomAlichiDried seed[36]
6.Cinnamomum tamala (Buch.-Ham.) T.Nees &Eberm(Lauceae)Bay leafTejpatfresh or dried leaf[37]
7.Cinnamomum verum J. Presl(LAuraceae)CinamonDalchiniDried bark[38]
8.Coriandrum sativum L.(Apiaceae)CorianderDhaniyaFresh leaves and dried seed[39]
9.Cuminum cyminum L.(Apiaceae)CumminJeeraSeed
10.Curcuma Longa L.(Zingiberaceae)TumericBesarrhizome[40]
11.Elettaria cardamomum L. Maton(Zingiberaceae)True cardamomSukmeldried seed[41]
12.Ferula assa-foetida L.(Apiaceae)AsafetidaHingrhizome
13Mentha arvensis L.(Lamiaceae)Wild mintpudina/barbarileaves[42]
14.Myristica fragrans Houtt.(Myristicaceae)NutmegJaiphalseed[43]
15.Nigella sativa L.(Rananculaceae)Black cuminMungreloseed[44]
16.Piper nigrum L.(Piperaceae)Black pepperMarichfruit[45]
17.Sesamum indicum L.(Pedaliaceae)SesameTilseed
18.Syzygium aromaticum (L.)Merr. & L.M. PerryCloveLwangflower bud
19.Trigonella foenumgraecum L.(Fabaceae)FenugreekMethidried fruits[46]
20.Zingiber officinale Roscoe(Zingiberaceae)GingerAduwafresh and dried rhizome[47]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: National Register of Medicinal Plants. 2000. IUCN. 978-92-9144-048-1. 3–.
  2. Book: Zuchora-Walske, Christine. Nepal in Pictures. 1 September 2008. Twenty-First Century Books. 978-0-8225-8578-7. 14–.
  3. Web site: Biodiversity Assessment. 18, 33–35. 30 May 2013. Icimod Organization.
  4. Web site: Nepal. 29 May 2013. Living National Treasures.Com.
  5. Borlaug . Norman E. . 1983-02-11 . Contributions of Conventional Plant Breeding to Food Production . Science . en . 219 . 4585 . 689–693 . 10.1126/science.219.4585.689 . 17814030 . 40490405 . 0036-8075.
  6. Behre . Karl-Ernst . 2007-11-26 . Collected seeds and fruits from herbs as prehistoric food . Vegetation History and Archaeobotany . en . 17 . 1 . 65–73 . 10.1007/s00334-007-0106-x . 83710773 . 0939-6314.
  7. Subedi . S. . Ghimire . Y.N. . Adhikari . S.P. . Devkota . D. . Shrestha . J. . Poudel . H.K. . Sapkota . B.K. . 2019-12-10 . Adoption of certain improved varieties of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in seven different provinces of Nepal . Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science . en . 4 . 4 . 404–409 . 10.26832/24566632.2019.040406 . 209513490 . 2456-6632.
  8. Gadal . N. . Shrestha . J. . Poudel . M.N. . Pokharel . B. . 2019-03-10 . A review on production status and growing environments of rice in Nepal and in the world . Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science . en . 4 . 1 . 83–87 . 10.26832/24566632.2019.0401013 . 188790603 . 2456-6632.
  9. Joshi . BK . Mudwari . A . Bhatta . MR . 1970. Wheat Genetic Resources in Nepal . Nepal Agriculture Research Journal . 7 . 1–10 . 10.3126/narj.v7i0.1859 . 1029-533X.
  10. KC . Govind . Karki . Tika B . Shrestha . Jiban . Achhami . Buddhi B . 2015-12-30 . Status and prospects of maize research in Nepal . Journal of Maize Research and Development . 1 . 1 . 1–9 . 10.3126/jmrd.v1i1.14239 . 2467-9305.
  11. Johnson . S. E. . Lauren . J. G. . Welch . R. M. . Duxbury . J. M. . 2005-09-30 . A Comparison of the Effects of Micronutrient Seed Priming and Soil Fertilization on the Mineral Nutrition of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum), Lentil (Lens culinaris), Rice (Oryza sativa) and Wheat (Triticum aestivum) in Nepal . Experimental Agriculture . 41 . 4 . 427–448 . 10.1017/s0014479705002851 . 86324845 . 0014-4797.
  12. Dhakal . Shiva Chandra . Regmi . Punya Prasad . Thapa . Resham Bahadur . Sah . Shrawan Kumar . Khatri-Chhetri . Dilli Bahadur . 2015-12-30 . Productivity and profitability of maize-pumpkin mix cropping in Chitwan, Nepal . Journal of Maize Research and Development . 1 . 1 . 112–122 . 10.3126/jmrd.v1i1.14249 . 2467-9305.
  13. Baniya . Bimal K . Tiwari . Radha K . Chaudhary . Pashupati . Shrestha . Surendra K . Tiwari . Pushpa R . 1970. Planting Materials Seed Systems of Finger Millet, Rice and Taro in Jumla, Kaski and Bara Districts of Nepal . Nepal Agriculture Research Journal . 6 . 10–22 . 10.3126/narj.v6i0.3343 . 1029-533X.
  14. Gahatraj . Sachin . Raı . Harsha Hang . Uprety . Rajendra . 2019 . Assessment of contribution of cabbage in rural livelihood and constraints of production in Dhankuta, Nepal . International Journal of Agriculture Environment and Food Sciences . 3 . 3 . 150–154 . 10.31015/jaefs.2019.3.6 . 210305658 . 2618-5946.
  15. Jones . Katharine M. . Specio . Sheila E. . Shrestha . Parvati . Brown . Kenneth H. . Allen . Lindsay H. . 2005 . Nutrition Knowledge and Practices, and Consumption of Vitamin A–Rich Plants by Rural Nepali Participants and Nonparticipants in a Kitchen-Garden Program . Food and Nutrition Bulletin . 26 . 2 . 198–208 . 10.1177/156482650502600204 . 16060221 . 22038064 . 0379-5721.
  16. Harmayani . Eni . Anal . Anil Kumar . Wichienchot . Santad . Bhat . Rajeev . Gardjito . Murdijati . Santoso . Umar . Siripongvutikorn . Sunisa . Puripaatanavong . Jindaporn . Payyappallimana . Unnikrishnan . 2019 . Healthy food traditions of Asia: exploratory case studies from Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Nepal . Journal of Ethnic Foods . 6 . 1 . 10.1186/s42779-019-0002-x . 257159466 . 2352-6181 . free .
  17. Dahal . Januka . Pandey . Utshay . Bhandari . Upakar . Tiwari . Sabina . Shrestha . Suchit . 2021 . Performance of Lettuce (Lactuca Sativa L.) Genotypes with Respect to Morphological, Yield and Quality Traits at Two Localities of Nepal . Nepalese Horticulture . 15 . 64–72 . 10.3126/nh.v15i0.36650 . 244221812 . 2542-2936.
  18. Phulara . Gayatri . Budha . Janaki . Puri . Chiranjibi . Pant . Prakash . 2020 . Economics of Production and Marketing of Banana in Kailali, Nepal . Food and Agribusiness Management . 1 . 1 . 43–46 . 10.26480/fabm.01.2020.43.46 . 225842641 . 2716-6678.
  19. Pandey . Jitendra . Bastola . Tonking . Tripathi . Julu . Tripathi . Milu . Rokaya . Rabindra Kumar . Dhakal . Bhawana . D. C. . Rabin . Bhandari . Ravin . Poudel . Amrit . 2020 . Estimation of Total Quercetin and Rutin Content in Malus domestica of Nepalese Origin by HPLC Method and Determination of Their Antioxidative Activity . Journal of Food Quality . 2020 . 1–13 . 10.1155/2020/8853426 . 1745-4557 . free .
  20. Acharya . Suraj . 2021 . Resource Productivity Analysis of Organic Turmeric Production in Surkhet District, Nepal . Economic Affairs . 66 . 2 . 10.46852/0424-2513.2.2021.2 . 238758035 . 0424-2513.
  21. Mishra . Ashok K. . Kumar . Anjani . Joshi . Pramod K. . D'Souza . Alwin . 2018 . Cooperatives, contract farming, and farm size: The case of tomato producers in Nepal . Agribusiness . 34 . 4 . 865–886 . 10.1002/agr.21563 . 158424089 . 0742-4477.
  22. Sapkota . Mahesh . Bajracharya . Mahima . 2018 . Resource Use Efficiency Analysis for Potato Production in Nepal . Journal of Nepal Agricultural Research Council . 4 . 54–59 . 10.3126/jnarc.v4i1.19690 . 51786435 . 2392-4543.
  23. Sapkota . Arati . Sharma . Moha Dutta . Giri . Hom Nath . Shrestha . Bishal . Panday . Dinesh . 2021 . Effect of Organic and Inorganic Sources of Nitrogen on Growth, Yield, and Quality of Beetroot Varieties in Nepal . Nitrogen . 2 . 3 . 378–391 . 10.3390/nitrogen2030026 . 2504-3129 . free .
  24. Shrestha . Prasanna M. . Dhillion . Shivcharn S. . 2003-05-01 . Medicinal plant diversity and use in the highlands of Dolakha district, Nepal . Journal of Ethnopharmacology . en . 86 . 1 . 81–96 . 10.1016/S0378-8741(03)00051-5 . 12686446 . 0378-8741.
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