Documentation of some wild edible vegetables habitually used by the tribals of Jawhar Tehsil of Palghar District Maharashtra

Present study focuses on documentation of wild edible vegetables from Jawhar tehsil of Palghar district. Variety of wild plants are commonly used in the traditional diets of tribal people in many parts of the world. Wild vegetables from forest collected by tribal peoples often sell in the market. It has been observed that during selling of these wild vegetables, they also explain how to consume it and the cooking recipe. Forest is the house for most wild vegetable plants. Herbs are the major source of wild leafy vegetables. A total of 62 traditionally used wild edible vegetable plant species (WELVPs) from 30 families were collected, identified, and documented. Most species belong to Angiosperms least with Pteridophytes and Bryophytes, respectively. The largest families Fabaceae, Amaranthaceae, Asteraceae followed by Araceae, Apocynaceae and Cucurbitaceae were found to be the largest families with 31 plant species. Due to less cognizance, forfeiture of vegetation and fast destruction of many species are on the line of scarcity. The present study helps to conserve those wild food species and cultivate them on huge scales, to uplift their economic status and sustainable management in near future