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Institute (KFRI), and Botanical Survey of India
Herbarium, Coimbatore (MH).
Secondary data collection was carried out from the
various organizations in Kerala state like
Directorate of Scheduled tribes development,
Tribal extension offices in Palakkad, Malappuram
and Wayanad, Kerala Forest Department, District
Panchayath, NGOs working in tribal area. The
preliminary information was supplemented with
the maximum available secondary data gathered
through literature survey (Faulks, 1958; Ford, 1978;
Jain 1981; Varghese, 1996; WWF, 1997; Jain, 2004;
Maffi, 2004; Sasidharan, 2004; Anil Kumar et al.,
2009)
Field Work
This work is the result of personal observations
and interviews made after carefully planned field
work during April 2008- May 2009. 21 Colonies of
Kattunaikka, 4 colonies of Kurichya in Wayanad
district, 12 colonies of Muduga in Silent Valley and
8 colonies of Cholonaikka in Nilambur visited and
semi-structured interviews were carried out using
questionnaire (Annexure 1). An album having
detailed, and good quality photographs of the 5
trees were also used to show for their easier
identification.
Informants were included men, women, children,
youth, middle-aged and old people among tribes
(Annexure 2). 10 key informants were selected
from the first category and detailed information
regarding the five tree species pertain to uses such
as domestic, medicinal, commercial and religious
practices were collected. The non-tribal Hindus like
Nair, Thiyya, Brahmin, Wayanadan Chetty were also
interviewed. (Annexure 3). Many Kaavu (Sacred
groves) and temples in various locations of Kerala
were visited for the data collection.
Flowering and non-flowering twigs of the 5 species
were collected with maximum variables from each
location. Seed materials (that are usually vulnerable
to get washed off in the rain) of these species were
gathered from the trees that found near forest
fringes to raise nursery at station and country level.
Seeds were germinated in the nursery conditions at
CAbC, MSSRF which showed all the species have
above 50% germination rate. (See the table and
figure below)
Fig. 1
Percentage of seed germination of the targeted species
100
0
87.15
69.09
50.87
84.89 86.32
No. Name of the species Number of Number of
Seeds tried seedlings raised
1 Vateria indica Linn. 1586 1369
2 Myristica malabarica Lam. 1410 1197
3 Hydnocarpus pentandra (Buch.-ham.) Oken 2300 1589
4 Dysoxylum malabaricum Bedd. ex Hiern 2467 1255
5 Cinnamomum malabatrum (N. Burm.) Bl. 2000 1743
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