The present study documented the ethnobotanical and medicinal uses of plants from an ecologically fragile cold desert area of Lahaul-Spiti (Himachal Pradesh, India). Local people use plants for curing the stomach troubles, pain reliever, cough, gastric disorders, and aphrodisiac and other household purposes. In addition, chromosome numbers, male meiosis, and natural propagation were also investigated in these ethnobotanically used plants. Present investigations also form the basis for exploitation of intraspecific chromosomal variation/new cytotypes recorded in some of the presently studied species to detect biochemical diversity in the medicinally important plants. For documentation of ethnobotanical information, personal observations and interviews were conducted with medicine men, hakims, farmers, shepherds, local healers, and old aged people. This study identified 40 plant species under 33 genera belonging to 17 families which have been used locally for curing various diseases and other purposes. All the chromosome counts are new to the study area. On worldwide basis, meiotic chromosome counts of
Present study was conducted in Lahaul-Spiti, a cold and desolate alpine region in northwest Himalayas which is known for its seclusion, Buddhist culture, hostile climate, and unexplored, formidable, and breathtaking scenic beauty of the high snow clad mountains. It is a part of the Indian cold deserts which is situated between 31°44′57′′ and 32°59′57′′N latitudes and between 76°29′46′′ and 78°41′34′′E longitudes. Climatic conditions are typical of dry temperate and alpine zones. The vegetation which is mainly composed of perennial herbs and prostrate shrubs survives extreme variation in temperature including months buried under several feet of snow. Using plants for different purposes and in curing and healing is as old as man himself [
The topography of the area is entirely different from the adjoining regions of northwest Indian Himalayas. The cold desert plants of Lahaul-Spiti show a wide range of habitat diversity which includes alpine pastures and slopes, moist shady and exposed places, forests and forest undergrowth, water courses, scree slopes, rock crevices, rocks/boulders, roadsides, riverbeds, and sandy areas (Figures
(a) Alpine pasture. (b) A part of Lahaul Valley near Baralacha Pass with scanty vegetation. (c) Dry temperate forests near Keylong. (d) Sheep grazing on alpine moist slopes.
As the valley remains cut off from other parts of country for more than six months due to heavy snow fall, observations on ethnobotanical information and natural propagation and collection of material for cytological studies were made between June and October in the years 2006–2009. During the intensive cytomorphological and ethnobotanical surveys, 40 plant species used by the local people of Lahaul-Spiti had been collected from different localities (Figure
Study area: Lahaul Spiti, Chamba, and Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh (India).
In the present investigation, 40 plant species under 33 genera belonging to 17 families have been reported to be used for ethnobotanical and medicinal purposes. Data given in Table
Family, species and its vernacular name, meiotic chromosome number, ploidy level, locality and altitude, habit and habitat, natural regeneration, flowering and fruiting period, plant part used and ethnobotanical uses in the wild plants of Lahaul-Spiti, and adjoining high altitude hills.
Family/species (vernacular name)/meiotic chromosome number “ |
Locality and altitude in meters (m) | Voucher specimen number (PUN) | Habit and habitat | Natural regeneration | Flowering and fruiting period | Plant part used | Ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal uses |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||
(1) |
Dhancho, 3,030 m | 51529 PUN | Tall perennial herb; shady moist places | Seeds, rootstock | July–September | Whole plant, roots | Stomach troubles and stimulant |
(2) |
Bharmour, 2,130 m | 51524 PUN | Perennial herb; dry slopes | Seeds, rootstock | June–September | Roots | Liver troubles |
(3) |
Koksar, 3,140 m | 51546 PUN | Herb; moist slopes | Seeds, rootstock | June–September | Roots | Plant eaten raw or used as pot herb |
(4) |
Trilokinath, 3,020 m | 51542 PUN | Perennial herb; along water courses and amongst stones and open slopes | Seeds, rootstock | June–September | Leaves, tender shoots, and fruits |
Check the excessive menses and bleeding, abdominal pain and gastric disorders |
|
|||||||
(5) |
Sissu, 3,170 m | 51627 PUN | Annual herb; along streams | Seeds | June–August | Whole plant | Paste made by mixing it with lichens and |
(6) |
Jhalama, 3,070 m | 51632 PUN | Annual herb; glacial streams and moist shady places | Seeds | July–August | Leaves | Red dye obtained is used as nail paint |
|
|||||||
(7) |
Baralacha Pass, |
51587 PUN | Perennial herb; alpine meadows and dry rocky and scree slopes | Seeds, rootstocks | July–October | Rootstocks | Antiseptic and blood purifier |
|
|||||||
(8) |
Bahu, 2,830 m | 51618 PUN | Perennial herb; open slopes and around cultivated fields | Seeds, rootstocks | July–September | Aerial parts | Rheumatic pain |
|
|||||||
(9) |
Batal, 3,960 m | 51479 PUN | Perennial herb; moist slopes and meadows | Seeds, stolon | June–September | Whole plant | Decoction for cough |
(10) |
Udaipur, 2,740 m | 51713 PUN | Perennial herb; grassy slopes and meadows | Seeds, rootstocks | June–September | Fresh young leaves and twigs | Vegetable |
|
|||||||
(11) |
Kukumsheri, 2800 m | 51163 PUN | Perennial herb; rock crevices and dry sandy slopes | Seed, offsets | June–September | Whole plant | Juice—considered good for health |
|
|||||||
(12) |
Jahlama, 3,070 m | 49418 PUN | Perennial robust herb; dry sandy slopes | Seeds, rootstocks | July–September | Roots | Yellow dye |
|
|||||||
(13) |
Gauri Kund, 3,930 m | 51673 PUN | Perennial herb; rock crevices and glacial moraines | Seeds, rootstocks | July–September | Whole plant | Leprosy and rheumatism |
|
|||||||
(14) |
Lossar, 3,900 m | 51573 PUN | Perennial herb; moist places | Seeds, rootstocks | July–September | Whole plant, |
Cough, jaundice, and gastric disorders |
(15) |
Rohtang Pass, 3,980 m | 51190 PUN | Perennial herb; moist slopes | Seeds, rootstocks | July–September | Whole plant | Stomachaches, cough, cold, and throat infections |
|
|||||||
(16) |
Gondhla, 3,160 m | 51179 PUN | Under shrub: open, dry, and sandy slopes | Seeds, rootstocks | July–August | Whole plant | Soil binder |
(17) |
Zingzingbar, 4,350 m | 51288 PUN | Herb; meadows, dry slopes, and around cultivated areas | Seeds | July–September | Seeds, flowers | Strangury |
(18) |
Chandartal Lake, 4,300 m | 51276 PUN | Perennial herb; dry slopes, riverbeds, and among stones | Seeds, rootstock | June–September | Roots | Fodder |
(19) |
Chandartal Lake, 4,300 m | 51219 PUN | Perennial herb; sandy and dry slopes | Seeds, rootstocks | June–September | Aerial parts, seeds | Treatment of sore mouth in cattle |
(20) |
Tindi, 2,600 m | 51312 PUN | Shrub: shady and sometimes also on open moist sloes | Seeds, new sprouts, and suckers begin from dormant buds on stems, rootstocks | May–August | Leaves and young shoots | Fodder and fuel |
(21) |
Keylong, 3,340 m | 51328 PUN | Perennial herb; moist shady places | Seeds | July–September | Aerial parts | Used as a good fodder |
(22) |
Sundrasi, 3,370 m | 51160 PUN | Herb; moist places, riverbeds, and around cultivated fields | Seeds | June–August | Young leaves, shoots, and flowers | Vegetable |
|
|||||||
(23) |
Keylong, 3,340 m | 51696 PUN | Perennial herb; moist places and roadsides | Seeds, rootstocks | June–September | Whole plant | Decoction for malaria |
(24) |
Kaza, 3,800 m | 51492 PUN | Perennial herb; moist places | Seeds, rootstocks | June–September | Seeds | Kidney and bladder disorders |
|
|||||||
(25) |
Miyar, 3,000 m | 51665 PUN | Perennial herb; moist places, amidst stones, and boulders | Seeds, rootstocks | July–September | Roots | Crushed roots used as a detergent |
(26) |
Batal, 3,960 m | 51654 PUN | Perennial herb; dry slopes and on rocks | Seeds, rootstocks | July–September | Flowers | Ornamental |
|
|||||||
(27) |
Gauri Kund, 3,930 m | 49361 PUN | Herb; among boulders in alpine rocky areas | Seeds | June–September | Aerial parts roots | Swelling of legs after long distance walking |
|
|||||||
(28) |
Gulaba 3,400 m | 51708 PUN | Perennial herb; moist slopes | Seeds, rootstocks | July–September | Roots, fruits | Purgative |
|
|||||||
(29) |
Manimahesh Lake, 4,300 m | 51398 PUN | Herb; subalpine and alpine grassy meadows and moist slopes | Seeds | June–September | Roots | Diarrhoea, coughs, astringent, and aphrodisiac |
(30) |
Manimahesh Lake, 4,300 m | 51402 PUN | Small herb; alpine Himalayan regions | Seeds, rootstocks | June–September | Roots | Cough, high fever stomach problems, snake and scorpion bites, contagious infections, and intestine inflammation |
(31) |
Chhatru, 3,360 m | 51377 PUN | Perennial herb; moist slopes | Seeds, rootstocks | July–September | Flowers | Hair follicle infection |
(32) |
Trilokinath, 3,020 m | 51333 PUN | Perennial herb; marshy areas along water streams and glacial moraines | Seeds, rootstocks | June–September | Leaves |
To keep maggots out of cattle wounds. To clean the hands |
(33) |
Dibri, 2,300 m | 51384 PUN | Perennial herb; margins of Cedrus and Pine forest, dry scrubby slopes | Seeds, rootstocks | July–September | Roots | Toothache |
(34) |
Keylong, 3,340 m | 51374 PUN | Perennial herb; moist places and alpine meadows | Seeds, rootstocks | June–September | Whole plant | Counter irritant |
(35) |
Trilokinath, 3,020 m | 51335 PUN | Perennial herb; dry slopes, among stones and boulders | Seeds, rootstocks | June–September | Flowers | Religious ceremonies |
|
|||||||
(36) |
Kothi, 2,400 m | 49218 PUN | Trailing evergreen shrub on rocky slopes, rocky mountain areas, thickets, and river valleys | Seeds, new shoots from dormant bud on old stem | June–September | Whole plant, fruits | Eaten raw |
(37) |
Kilingsarai, 4,500 m | 51101 PUN | Perennial herb; alpine meadows and glacial moraines | Seeds, rootstock | June–October | Roots | Toothache and gingivitis |
(38) |
Kaza, 3,800 m | 51450 PUN | Deciduous prickly shrub; open sandy and rocky slopes | Seeds, rootstocks | June–September | Fruits, stems, and flowers | Eaten |
(39) |
Kothi, 2,400 m | 51421 PUN | Shrub: dry slopes | Seeds, rootstocks | June–September | Slender branches | Rim of baskets |
|
|||||||
(40) |
Gramphoo, 3,160 m | 51682 PUN | Perennial herb; moist rocky slopes, among boulders | Seeds, rootstocks | May–September | Leaves, rootstocks, and roots | Used as fuel wood |
(a)
(a) Spiny branches of
In addition to the gathering of ethnobotanical information, chromosome number and details of male meiosis have also been investigated in all the species. Of the 40 cytologically studied species, 30 (75%) exist at diploid level with basic chromosome number ranging between
Meiotic chromosome number. (a)
Besides new chromosome reports and additional cytotypes, in some of the species meiosis was abnormal and was characterized by the presence of multivalents and/or univalents, impaired synapsis, cytomixis, and its associated meiotic aberrations such as laggards and bridges, chromatin stickiness, pycnotic chromatin, irregular distribution of chromosomes, and micronuclei at telophases/sporads consequently leading to abnormal microsporogenesis and variable amount of pollen sterility (Figures
Among the abnormal taxa, 12x cytotype of
Natural propagation observations made on all the 40 species revealed that majority of the species are perennial and propagate through asexual (vegetative propagation) means such as rootstocks, offsets, root suckers, and stolons (Figures
Natural propagation. (a) A plant grown from old rootstock (arrowed) in
A steady stream of papers over the years have recognized the fact that the reproductive stage in the life cycle of plants is highly sensitive to different abiotic stresses [
Natural propagation observations revealed that majority of the species are perennial and propagate through asexual means such as rootstocks, offsets, root suckers, and stolons. Thus, it is assumed that in order to survive the harsh environmental conditions and gametic sterility caused by irregular meiotic events, the plants of the area have adopted alternate mechanism of reproduction through vegetative means. Vegetative means of propagation are important for species like
To date numerous valuable herbal drugs have been discovered by following the knowledge of ancient folk healers [
The authors are thankful to the local people and medicine men for their help and cooperation during field study. The authors wish to thank the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, India, for providing financial assistance under DRS SAP I and II, ASIST programme, and Dr. D. S. Kothari Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award Letter no. F.4-2/2006(BSR)/13-427/2011(BSR) to Puneet Kumar. Thanks are also due to the Head of Department of Botany, Punjabi University, Patiala, India, for necessary laboratory and internet facilities. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.