Some common plants used by Kurichiar tribes of Tirunelli forest, Wayanad district, Kerala in medicine and other traditional uses

Wayanad, one of the hill stations of Kerala, is located at about 76 km East of the coastal city Kozhikode. It lies at an elevation of 700 to 2,100 m above sea level. The name, Wayanad, is believed to have been derived from the word, Vayalnadu, meaning the land of paddy fields. The altitudinal difference within the district results in climatic variations, which in turn determines the vegetation pattern. This district has the highest concentration of tribals in Kerala. They form 17.1% of the total population of the district. The aborigines of Wayanad have a great political tradition. This area was originally under the control of the Rajas of the Veda tribes. Later, the political authority was passed on to the Pazhassi Raja’s of Kottayam royal dynasty. The Kurichiars of Wayanad have a great martial tradition and they constituted the army of Pazhassi Veera Kerala Varma Rajah, who engaged the British forces in several battles. The descendants of those warriors are still expert archers. In order to explore the medicinal plant wealth, an ethnobotanical exploration was carried out in the Tirunelli forest area. During the survey, two local guides and a Nattuvaidya belonging to the Kurichiar community, accompanied for helping in locating the medicinal plants and documenting their uses. The paper adds up further to the initiative on documentation of traditional knowledge by giving the uses on 48 plant species. The study area is Tirunelli and Pakshipathalam located near Manandavadi of Wayanad district in Kerala, situated at 11° 55′ N latitude and 75° 59′ E longitude with an altitude ranging from 950-1,350 m above sea level (Fig. 1). The temperature goes down to 16°C during the winter season and to 30°C during the summer months. The annual rainfall ranges from 300-1,000 mm. The forest types are semi-evergreen, evergreen and grasslands2.