Some Edible Wild and Cultivated Plants Used as Food for Palaung Tribe in Kyaukme Township

An ethnobotanical study on Palaung tribe in Kyaukme Township has been investigated. In this study, some edible wild and cultivated plants were recorded from Hu-koat, Pan-tha-pyay, .Pan-kwan, Pan-phaet and Pan-kwan (hya-ma) villages in Kyaukme Township. Plants used as food consist of 29 species that belong to 25 genera of 18 families were collected and identified. The parts use, their traditional ways to prepare food and other uses of these plants have been investigated. The uses of twelve wild plants and their parts were also evaluated by comparing with literatures. The nutritional value of twelve wild plants used as vegetables by native people were determined. Among the twelve wild plants the protein contents were observed 44.63 % in the leaves of Fagopyrum cymosum Meissn (Wet-sa), 40.47% in flower buds of Trevesia pa/mata (Roxb. ex Lindl.) Vis (Hpaw-bu), 34.67 % in the pith of the stem of Caryota urens L. (Min-baw), 33.44% in flower buds of Bauhlnia acuminata L. (Swe-daw-phyu), 29.42 % in young tender shoots of Solanum americanum Mill. (Baung-laung-nyo) and 26.43 % in the leaves of Ficus hispida L. (Phet-wah). The fresh leaves and shoots of Fagopyrum cymosum Meissn (Wet-sa) has the highest protein, Chlorophyll-a and total carotenoids contents; the highest moisture content in fresh pith of the stem of C. urens L. (Min-baw) and that of ash in fresh root of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. (Samon-saba), The determination of water soluble carbohydrate as glucose was found to be highest in roots of F. vulgare Mill. (Samon-saba) and lowest in young leaves of Ficus virens Ait. (Nyaung-shin)