QUANTITATIVE ETHNOBOTANY OF SOME FICUS L. SPECIES IN KHASI AND JAINTIA HILLS, MEGHALAYA, INDIA

Abstract

Ficus L. is a genus in Moraceae with 115 taxa from all over India and plays a key role in Indian ethnobotany. The Khasi and Jaintia hill in Meghalaya is rich in flora including the genus Ficus L. and have diverse cultures among local tribes. The uses, coverage, and cultural importance of Ficus can be expressed through several quantitative ethnobiological indices such as TIV, RFC, CI, and UV. This paper highlights the indices for ten species of Ficus used by the tribal people in the Khasi and Jaintia hills of Meghalaya which shows that the genus has higher ethnobotanical value.

Keywords

• herbal
• khasi
• jaintia
• ethnobotany
• indices
• moraceae