Ethnobotanical practices of kodavas, kodagu district of karnataka state, India

The study is an effort to document the culture and ethnobotanical practices ofKodavas, anindigenoustribe of Kodagu district. Coorg, the anglicized name of the district islocated in the eastern slopes of Western ghats of India,known as Scotland of India, famed for natural beauty with rugged hills, tropical forests, plantations on the hill slopes and rice fields in the valleys. Kodagu is one of the densely forested districts of India with about 65% tree cover. Kodavas, the dominant tribe of Kodagu, areland owning agriculturistsknown for their martial tradition, culture and food habits. The study area is experiencing heavy impact on cultural heritage, socioeconomic, biodiversity and environment due to developmental activities and increased tourism. Hence documentation of tradition and traditional knowledge at this point of time becomes crucial. In this study about 170 uses of 136 plants belonging to 60 families are recorded. The information is given in the form of table detailing botanical, local and English names of the plant,family, partused, uses, along with preparation. These plants are grouped according to the purpose they are usedviz. ethno-agriculture, ethnoecology, ethno-pediatrics, ethno-medico Botany, ethnoveterinary, plants used in food etc.