eChapters

Genus : Garcinia
Species : mangostana L.
Family : Guttiferae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 56-76, 88-96, 120-130

In family Guttiferae to which mangosteen belongs, very few plants are fruits and yield drugs, gums and resins. It is a tropical fruit and occupies an important place in Garcinia family. The European voyagers on their return indicated wonderful stories of the East and mention of mangosteen received huge praise. Hacobus Bontius termed the fruit as ‘Queen of fruits’ the finest fruit in the world. Because of beautiful colouring of fruit alongwith pleasant delicate flavour makes mangosteen the most esteemed fruit of Asiatic tropics and no other tropical fruit equals to that of mangosteen. Despite being designated as the finest fruit of the tropics, the fruit is mainly confined to the limits of East Indies. The species is found wild in the forests of Sunda Islands and of the Malay peninsula. Writers have indicated that mangosteen is usual dooryard tree in the East Indies, more in Java and Sumatra. Some small orchards of mangosteen have come up in Sri Lanka, but they are most abundant only in Malay Archipelago.

Genus : Grewia
Species : subinequalis DC., asiatica L.
Family : Tiliaceae 
Chromosome No. : 2n = 36

Phalsa (Grewia asiatica) belongs  to the family Tilaceae and some members  are native of India too and is  mentioned in Vedic writings and various plant parts are employed to cure number of ailments. The family comprises  of 18 genera and some 400 species distributed mostly in the tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Of the prevailing 140 species,  40 are indigenous to India of which Grewia asiatica is of significance horticulturally. Phalsa is commercially  cultivated in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and on limited scale in Bihar, West Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Genus : Durio 
Species : zibethinus Murray.
Family : Bombacaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n= 56

The exact place to which durian is indigenous is not established with certainity. The specie is said to be native to Borneo and other adjoining islands of Malay Archipelago. The species is seen growing in Sri Lanka and some other tropical countries. Outside the Malayan region durian cultivation is greatly restricted and is usually confined to the botanic gardens from study point of view. The crop has failed to move away from its native place primarily due to the fact that seeds are highly perishable which has restricted durian movement within tropical places of the world. Further due to the disagreeable flavour this fruit has not met with the favour from the Europeans. The banks of the Sarawak River are covered with many fruit trees that basically fulfill the food requirements of the local inhabitants called as Dyaks. Of the different kinds of fruit tree, durian is the most important found in abundance and is rated very highly.

Genus : Eriobotrya 
Species : japonica Thunb./Lindl.
Family : Rosaceae 
Chromosome No. : 2n = 34

In Orient this beautiful and excellent fruit has failed to acquire the commercial significance which the crop deserves, further no concerted efforts have been made to improve it through selection and cultivation as has been done for many other Asiatic fruits. In contrast to major tropical and subtropical fruits which are said to be too sweet, loquat is one fruit that has subacid, sprightly flavoured fruits that match in taste and flavour to those of temperate fruits. The loquat has been in cultivation since antiquity in Japan and under present fruit culture scenario is one of the important fruits of that country

Genus : Passiflora 
Species : edulis Sims.
Family : Passifloraceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 18

The passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) is another fascinating tropical fruit besides having both dessert and processing qualities, the crop also has a big multi coloured very attractive flower and fruit with district taste  and flavour. Passion fruit is very popular in number of tropical and subtropical countries. Despite having variability at the species level the commercial development has not progressed as desired which is evident from the fact that the available commercial types are highly susceptible to diseases, lack of adaptation to soil and climate extremes, high establishment costs growing management problems  harvesting and market costs have forced the grower to focus on other remunerative crops. Passion fruit is said to be good source of minerals especially calcium, phosphorus and iron, vitamin A, niacin and riboflavin.

Genus : Punica 
Species : granatum L.
Family : Punicaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 16,18

Pomegranate has originated in Afghanistan and Iran the abode of prophet Mohammad and for very long has been associated with grape and fig and is still held in higher esteem. Acknowledging the multi usefulness of pomegranate Prophet Mohammad said ‘Eat the pomegranate sententiously for it progress the system of envy and hatred’. The crop was very much in demand and liked by the inhabitants prior to the days of Mohammad in the Orient, as pomegranate has something special in the form of refreshing which the people of hot arid region like and adore enormously. The ancient Semitic name rimmon was adopted by Arabs as rumman. The Potruguese roma or roman was formed from rumman. The present botanical name Punica granatum has been derived from Roman name malum punicum (apple of Carthage) and granatum.

Genus : Zizyphus /Rhamus
Species : mauritiana Lam. jujube Lam.
Family : Rhamnaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 24, 48, 96

According to famous writer David Fairchild it is the jujube, the large fruited Chinese type which is at its best compared to the inferior type which are in abundance in Arabia, northern India and southern Europe. The resultant inferior fruits are either from a different species compared to those of China or from varieties which have not been much influenced and improved by selection and cultivation.

Genus : Achras /Manilkara
Species : sapota L. zapota (Mill.) Forberg 
Family : Sapotaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n=26

Thomas Firmingaer, an English horticulturist while in India in praise of sapota wrote ‘a more luscious, cool and agreeable fruit is not to be within this or perhaps any other country in the world’. A French botanist described sapota as ‘the sweet perfumes of honey, jasmine and lily of the valley’. In view of these the fruit is considered to be one of the best fruits of tropical America, although cannot be compared with the other more popular fruits of the region i.e. pineapple and cherimoya. In many tropical parts of the world this delicious fruit is held in high esteem.

Genus : Persea 
Species : americana Mill.
Family : Lauraceae
Chromosome No. : 2n =24

Horticulturally avocado (Persea americana) is a new fruit and is often considered to be  one of the most   nutritive of present day fruit crops. Genus Persea, name has been derived from ancient Greek name of an Egyptian tree with sweet fruits  derived probably from Perseus. Avocado belongs to the family Lauraceae, has 47 genera and about 1900 species. Genus Persea has some 150 species of tropical evergreen trees. Its discovery in the new world has contributed much to the human diet. Fruit is a rich source of fat (27%), 2 per cent protein content is higher than in any other fresh fruit, mineral like Ca, Cl, Fe, Mg, P, K, Na and sulphur are also higher that makes avocado as a useful food which produces more of base forming elements rather than acid forming elements that are found more only in nut crops.

Genus : Diospyros 
Species : kaki L.
Family : Ebenaceae 
Chromosome No. : 2n=60, 90

Persimmon-Kaki, though native of China, but it was in Japan where the fruit developed to its present status and much of the cultural practices were established or developed in Japan, hence the Japanese name by which it was popular in Japan was accepted all over the world. Japanese persimmon sometimes called as date plum and Chinese date-plum are the names generally used to describe persimmon in United States. The Chinese name is Shitz and in France it is called as plaquemine. In Japan Kaki is regarded to be their prime and best fruit and about 800 cultivars have been recorded and described. Likewise the Chinese also fancy persimmon and large areas have been put under its cultivation.

Genus : Diospyros 
Species : kaki L.
Family : Ebenaceae 
Chromosome No. : 2n=60, 90

Persimmon-Kaki, though native of China, but it was in Japan where the fruit developed to its present status and much of the cultural practices were established or developed in Japan, hence the Japanese name by which it was popular in Japan was accepted all over the world. Japanese persimmon sometimes called as date plum and Chinese date-plum are the names generally used to describe persimmon in United States. The Chinese name is Shitz and in France it is called as plaquemine. In Japan Kaki is regarded to be their prime and best fruit and about 800 cultivars have been recorded and described. Likewise the Chinese also fancy persimmon and large areas have been put under its cultivation.

Genus : Morus 
Species : alba, nigra, rubra L.
Chromosome No. : 2n=28  
2n=42  2n=28 (56, 84)

Plants are ornamental and fruit bearing trees have wide adaptability. Plant loves to grow on garden soils but also grow or rocky and marginal soils. The number of species is disputable but two species are native of North America. Mulberries are usually cultivated as food or for rearing of silkworms and for the edible fruits. The silkworm mulberry is M. alba and fruit bearing mulberry is M. rubra. In India and elsewhere mulberry is known primarily as a fruit bearing tree, although it is not yet planted extensively, though few trees around home ground are common. Mulberry is remarkable for its foliage and for variable forms. The extent of variability is so pronounced that several forms may be present of a single tree and different trees of the same species show distinct individual

Genus : Artocarpus 
Species : heterophyllus L. (Lamk.)
Family : Moraceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 56

Afamous traveller John de Marignolli has described jackfruit as ‘there is again another wonderful tree, which produced fruit on the trunk, and was very pleasing to see and the fruit was as big as a lamb‘. The rind is hard and has to be cut open by a sharp knife, the pulp inside is of pleasant flavour sweetness of which matches the honey and usually contains 500 or more chestnut like seeds which are eaten after roasting. In its place of origin (India) where it has been grown since ancient times it is held in great esteem. Theopharatus and Pliny who wrote about jackfruit also expressed similar opinion about the fruit. In India several vernacular names are given like Kanthal, Kathal, Panasa and Kantaka.

Genus : Ficus 
Species : carica L.
Family : Moraceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 26

Fig along with fruits like date palm, grape (vinifera) and olive was regarded as an important food crop of the ancient civilization that developed in the Mediterranean region. The fig description occurred prominently in number of songs as well as in the mythological and historical events that took place at that time. Fig is thought to be native of southern parts of Arabian peninsula, Italy, Balkan and USSR region. Fig was in cultivation as early as 300 BC and from Arabian peninsula it spread to Turkey, Syria, Iraq and later to many subtropical parts of the western hemisphere.

Genus : Euphoria/Nephelium/Dimocarpus
Species : longana (Lour.) Stend. cinerea
Family : Sapindaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 20

The longan (Euphoria longana) belongs to the Sapindaceae or soapberry family to which more important fruits like litchi and rambutan also belongs. The family contains more than 1000 spp. from 125 genera widely distributed in the tropical and warm subtropics. Most of the species are native to Asia though some are also found in south America, Africa and Australia. The genus has seven species but only longana is both horticulturally and commercially important as it yields/produces edible fruits. For most of the growth, flowering and fruit characters it is similar to the two above horticultural crops mentioned. In respect of soil and climate it is less demanding and does adapt or tolerates drier and cooler condition better than litchi.

Genus : Nephelium 
Species : lappaceum L.
Family : Sapindaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 22

Rambutan is one fruit from the Malay Archipelago which has become very popular in its place of origin and is well distributed here. Besides, rambutan a number of other valuable tropical fruits are present which are yet to be cultivated extensively in other tropical and subtropical parts of the world. In Singapore and Penang the fruit grows in abundance. Though very popular in Malay Archipelago, Sri Lanka, however it is unknown in India, Madagascar, Mauritius etc. The fruits common name has been derived from Malayan word rambut referring to hairs by which the fruit surface is covered with. The fruit is also known by other names like Rambustan, rambotang, ramboetan etc. The crop is strictly tropical in climate requirements and is very sensitive to frost. For best performance it likes a hot and moist climate and is a major factor why the crop has not succeeded in most other places.

Genus : Litchi 
Species : chinensis  Sonn.
Family : Sapindaceae
(Sub family-Nepheleae)
Chromosome No. : 2n=30

A Chinese renowned statesman Chang Chow-ling of the eighth century in a poem on litchi indicated it as the most luscious of all fruits, and in quality surpasses the other two southern China’s famous fruits i.e. orange and peach. Litchi cultivation has been restricted to few selected sites mainly for its somewhat exacting in its climatic and cultural requirements. In recent times as litchi has established in the tropical America, there appears no doubt that very soon the fruits shall be in abundance in different parts of the tropics and subtropics. The most limiting factor in early dissemination of litchi was the perishable nature of seed and prior to steam navigation it was very difficult to transport the seeds from one continent to another successfully.

Genus : Eugenia 
Species : uniflora  L.
Family : Myrtaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 22

Eugenia uniflora, L. Is another important genera in family Myrtaceae which produces edible fruit. The fruit is known by several names like Pitanga, Surinam cherry, Cayenne cherry and Florida cherry. The word pitanga is derived from Tupi meaning ‘piter’ and ‘anga’, scent or odour. From its native home in Brazil the fruit was introduced in India at an early time probably by the Portuguese but is not cultivated commercially. The shiny deep green foliage is very attractive and the crushed leaves results in a pungent but agreeable odour which drives away the flies.

Genus : Syzygium 
Species : aromaticum
Family : Myrtaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = unknown

Origin and Distribution

The wild species are found growing wild in New Guinea and its cultivation was found on some islands of Moluccas. By the 17th century its cultivation has spread to number of other islands and from Moluccas crop reached Asia. The Britishers further introduced it to in India, Sumatra, Sri Lanka and other countries of south east Asia. Through French, the crop reached Mauritius which further spread to Madagascar, Zanzibar (Africa) and finally reached tropical America (Brazil).

Uses
Chinese valued clove as a spice. In India, regarded as an important spice, dried clove buds or after grinding are used to flavour food, valued for medical purposes (flower and fruit) in south east Asia.

Genus : Feijoa 
Species : sellowiana Berg.
Family : Myrtaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = unknown

Origin
Feijoa is native of subtropical South America, widely distributed in western Paraguay, parts of Argentina southern Brazil and Uruguay.

Uses
All parts of the plants are edible, the fruit has great resemblance to guava in respect of its appearance and size and other important pomological traits. Usually consumed as dessert or cooked, petals being thick are used in salad, on accounts of its high fruit flavour is also made into jams, jellies etc., besides these fruit juice is used to add aroma to non-alcoholic beverages.

Genus : Syzygium 
Species : cumini (L.) Skeels
Family : Myrtaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 40

Syzygium cumini Jamun, Genus name Syzygium in from Greek word united, referring to the calyptra petals and is an important minor fruit of considerable commercial significance besides being tall growing with evergreen handsome foliage is often used as road side avenue plantation to provide shade. As with other genera this fruit crop is indigenous to the East Indies, is cultivated for its fruit which is refreshing when taken with salt in scorching summer heat in India. The plants are small evergreen with attractive glossy light green foliage found growing along river sides and also planted in avenues.

Genus : Psidium 
Species : guajava L.
Family : Myrtaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 22, 33

Guava (Psidium guajava) for its high adaptability to varied soil and climatic conditions along with plants hardy nature, in short period of time has naturalized so much to the Indian condition effectively that today it is a common backyard fruit in almost every house. The round topped plant with wide crotched branch and light green foliage has an added advantage as landscape plant. From horticulture perspective it is one of the most common fruits grown commercially in India and is ranked next to mango, banana and citrus in respect of area and production. Guava fruit is often referred to as apple of tropics probably as it is the only tropical fruit which matches the high nutritive values of more commercially important temperate fruit apple. In the present tropical fruit culture scenario guava is considered to be the precocious, most prolific and highly paying fruit crop and the horticulturist admire this specie as it is least

Genus : Annona 
Species : cherimola Mill.
Chromosome No. : 2n = 14, 16

Other species
A. squamosa 2n =14, 16 L.
A. reticulata 2n =14, 16 L.
A. muricata 2n =14, 16 L.

Collectively all the Annona fruits technically are syncarpous is composed of more or less numerous carpels coherent with the fleshy receptacle. Fruit has been described as ‘Deliciousness itself’ compared to pineapple, mangostean and cherimoya the finest fruits of the world. Its native place is the mountains of Ecuador and Peru as terra-cotta models of cherimoya fruits are frequently obtained from prehistoric graves in Peru. The word cherimoya is from the Peruvian name ‘cherimuya’ meaning cold seed. Although originated close to the equator the fruit attains best quality or performs better where climate is cold and relatively

Genus : Phoenix 
Species : dactylifera L.
Family : Palmae (Sub family-Phoenicoideae)
Chromosome No. : 2n=36

Date (Phoenix dactylifera) Finger bearing is derived from Greek word Phoenix. This ancient plant has been named phoenix after the mythological bird which was native of Egypt and also very likely after ‘Phoenicia’, an old country on the coastal regions of Syria where palms were found growing in plenty. The date palms are usually planted as ornamental for their luxurious crown which is spreading at the top. The trunk and crown is covered with stiff pinnate leaves, suckers or offshoots at the base, markedly transforms the site or scene and provide an exotic charm.

Genus : Cocos 
Species : nucifera L.
Family : Palmae
Chromosome No. : 2n =32

“Tree of heaven, Tree of life, Mankind’s 
                                                  greatest provider in the tropics”    

The generic name Cocos is after Portuguese for monkey which refers to the end of the nut being like a monkey’s head. The genus comprises of beautiful palms and grows to majestic form in its natural habitat usually unarmed trees with pinnatisect leaves. Spadices appear in leaf axis grown widely in almost all the tropical countries. Coconut is often considered as Kalpa Vriksha (Tree of Heaven) for it not only supplies drink, food and shelter but also provides raw material for number of industries.

Genus : Anacardium 
Species : occidentale L.
Family : Anacardiaceae 
Chromosome No. : 2n =42

This delicious nut fruit of family Anacardiaceae is unique in number of ways firstly for fruits brilliant shades of colour (yellow to dark red-scarlet) characteristic aroma makes it one of the most enticing of tropical fruits. Secondly it multiplies and grows very fast and produces in abundance its attractive handsome fruits. Thirdly the cashew fruit is very peculiar for at the first look the swollen peduncle and disc (cashew apple) is taken to be the real fruit, a fact which is not true. The real fruit of commerce is the kidney shaped nut attached to the lower portion of the cashew apple. The English name cashew is adapted from Portuguese word ‘Caju’. India is one of the major cashew producer and exporter.

Genus : Ananas 
Species : comosus L. Merr
Family : Bromeliaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 50, 75, 100

Pineapple (Ananas comosus L) ‘Golden Queen’ belongs to order Farinosae and family Bromeliaceae. The name is derived from genus Bromelia in honour of Olaus Bromel, a Swedish botanist. Herbs or sub-shrubs  mostly epiphytic, has the distinction to be one of the major food plants of the world, which was selected, domesticated and developed by the early pre-historic people, who passed this valuable knowledge gathered for hundreds of years through earlier civilization. Pineapple developed to its present form in its natural habitat – New World, and was not know to the Old world before Columbus discovered America. Red Indians the local inhabitants of South America at that early time had already developed and named number of varieties which were partially selected by them or their ancestors based upon various desirable horticultural traits like fruit size and quality, earliness, long storage, and absence of seeds etc.

Genus : Carica 
Species : papaya L.
Family : Caricaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 18, 36

The papaya plant is a huge/giant herbaceous plant and in general appearance looks more like a palm although there exists no botanical relationship between them. Papaya is said to be native of tropical America where it is a common fruit however the exact place of its origin is not well determined. Presently the plant is widely distributed and is abundant in India, Sri Lanka and many other countries of the Malaya Archipelago, Hawaii. Papaya fruit as well as all plant parts contain a milky sap called papain. This enzyme resembles animal pepsin in its digestive action and has become an important article of commerce, is utilized in the clarification of beer and its digestive action too has been very well recognized. Another remarkable papaya character is the irregularity which it presents in the sex distribution. Being dioecious, staminate and pistillate flowers are produced on different plants, besides a number of intermediate form have also been observed.

Genus : Citrus
Species : Sinensis aurantium, limon, medica grandis L. paradisi Macf. reticulata Blanco
Family : Rutaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 18

Citrus is one of the most important and popular fruit of the world which is widely cultivated in almost all of the tropical and subtropical parts of the world. Amongst the subtropical fruits in respect of average it occupies the third position. In India too it is next to mango and banana in commercial perpective. Citrus fruits on account of extensive adaptability are successfully cultivated in tropical, subtropical and even in the marginal temperate regions where the condition are somewhat favourable with its attractive appearance (foliage) distinct flavour and above all its excellent fruit quantity, citrus is liked by one and all. Fruits are not only refreshing and delicious but are also very rich in vitamin C and is good source of A and B, with fruit sugar acids, minerals like Ca, P, Fe. They are essential and play significant role in health promoting constituents in human diet, significance of citrus fruits in diet is very well established. Limes and lemons

Genus : Musa 
Species : paradisiaca L.
Family : Musaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n =22,33,44

The genus Musa has been named after Antonio Musa, who was the official physician to Octovius Augustus the first emperor of Rome, 63-14 BC. Banana (Musa spp.) was perhaps the first among the fruit plants to be cultivated and there is hardly an difference of opinion that banana was one of the first food on which human relied upon. Banana was cultivated in India at very early times which is evident from the fact that Alexander the Great found banana cultivation in Indus river valley. In tropics, banana constitutes an important food crop for man and is a staple food of Buganda (Uganda), Wahaya (Bukoba) and Wachagya (Tanzania).

Genus : Mangifera 
Species : indica L.
Family : Anacardiaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 40

In the early Sanskrit literature  Amra, mango was known to Indian at very early times. Mango occupies an important place in the Hindu mythology as well as in various religious observances. Various archaeological discoveries also mention the presence of Mango in India. Alexander the Great in 327 BC during his invasion found mango cultivation in the Indus Valley. The Buddhist and Chinese pilgrims in their travel notes have also indicated mango cultivation. Amir Khusru a famous Turkoman poet has quoted ‘Mango as the pride of garden, the choicest fruit of Hindustan’. During the Mogul Emperors, mango occupied an important place in fruit culture. The Ain-e-Akbari an encyclopaedia work written during the rule of Akbar, gives detail account of mango, varietal characteristics, quality etc. In praise of mango, British authors lavished huge praise and designated it as King of Fruits and that the Goa mango is perhaps the largest and most delicious, wholesome and best tasted of any fruit

Seabuckthorn or Siberian pineapple or Leh Berry is an emerging new horticultural crop of temperate region in the world. In India, its importance was realized in 1992 when the author found its wild abundance in cold desert of Leh /Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir State and named it as Leh Berry. Perhaps Chinese were the first to use this plant as medicine even before 8th century. In traditional Chinese medicines, seabuckthorn products are used as health drinks, for cardiovascular and digestive diseases and ailments related to lungs and skin. Chinese Olympic athletes were served seabuckthorn based health drinks to improve their physical performance and endurance. Seabuckthorn figures in folklore medicines of China, Mongolia, Tibet, India ,Russia, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Ancient Greeks were taken by surprise before 12th century to find their horses, strong and energetic again with a shine on their hair, which were let loose to die a natural death. These horses used seabuckthorn wild growth as their fodder.

Use of medicinal plants is as old as human civilization. India has a glorious tradition of health care system based on plants, which dates back to vedic era. Rig Veda , the oldest known repository of human knowledge and wisdom (4500-2500 B.C.) mentions about several medicinal plants used by the Aryans while in Atharva veda (2500-2000 B.C.) elaborates description of medicinal plants is given. Later, in Samhita period, the science of medicine systematically organized with clear concept and theories based on the treatises like Charak Samhita – 2000 B.C. and Sushruta Samhita – 1000-800 B.C (Maiti, 2008). Traditionally medicinal plant communities depended on plants to meet their basic needs over centuries. The pharmaceutical industry views plant wealth as a source of income. The modern medicine world perceives plants as a panacea for many ills. Despite this, there is no consolidated strategy to conserve medicinal plants for their use (Purohit and Vyas, 2005).

We present in this paper the data about the popular uses of elder (Sambucus nigra) obtained in ethnobotanical studies carried out in the districts (“comarques”) of Pallars Jussà, Pallars Sobirà, Cerdanya, Conflent, Capcir, Ripollès and Alt Empordà (Pyrenees) and in the Montseny massif (Catalan Prelittoral Range), complemented with others from different Catalan regions (also investigated by our group), and compared with those from other Iberian and Mediterranean territories. This bush or small tree is one of the most reported and used plants (for medicinal and other purposes), not only in the regions studied, but in all Catalonia and in many other areas as well. It is one of the most versatile plants, since its uses embrace many different fields like medicinal, food, ornamental, craft industry and games among others. It is, in addition, aremarkable fact that almost every part of the plant (bark, root, leaves, flowers, fruits) has some uses.

The genus Sambucus L. is widely distributed in temperate and subtropical zones (Mabberley 1990). According to a few authors, it constitutes about 20-25 species (Mabberley 1990, Bolòs and Vigo 1995), whereas a more synthetic treatment (Bolli 1994) considers only nine species with 10 subspecies. The only three European species of this genus (Ferguson 1976) are S. ebulus L.

Jasmine

Jasmine oil and its synthetic substitutes are extensively used in high grade perfumes in the western countries, the main buyers being USA, France, UK, Japan, Holland and Russia. Essential oil production is an export oriented agro industry in Egypt, France, Morocco, Belgium, Germany, Tunisia, Italy, Algeria, China and India. It is also used for perfuming expensive soaps and cosmetics, mouthwashes and dentifrices. 

Jasmine oil is unique and the odour of jasmine cannot be imitated by any known synthetic chemicals. There is hardly any perfume of floral origin which does not contain at least a small quantity of jasmine concrete or absolute. The world production of jasmine concrete is approximately 20 tones/year and India’s production is 2 tones.

Cleome gynandra is one of the most underutilised crops in the world. It is the best known by rural and urban communities of Africa. The plant is well distributed in parts of South Africa, C. gynandra is indigenous to the country and evenly spread throughout Africa. Many people use it in their daily diets but it is not yet found on formal commercial markets. It is still regarded as a weed by commercial farmers. The nutritional value of the leaves is totally underestimated. The plant is known for the treatment of various ailments originated from epilepsy to headaches. The crop is harvested mainly from the wild and only cultivated in certain areas. The germination of the seeds can be a problem especially if the seeds are harvested simultaneously. The seeds must be harvested as it gets matured not all at once. Most consumers harvest the plant as needed. The more the leaves are picked the more growth is stimulated. A general harvesting method is not worked out yet, as this will differ from area to area.

The jackfruit tree or jack or simply known as jak (Artocarpus heterophyllus) belongs to the mulberry family (Moraceae) and its fruit, jackfruit, is known as the “poor-man's food” (Bose, 1985; Haq, 2006; Ramanani and Rao, 2001; Rowe-Dutton, 1976; Sonwalkar, 1951; Verheji and Coronel, 1992). It is believed to be native to Southwestern India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka (Answers.com, 2009). It is possibly also native to the Philippines and also East to the Malay Peninsula. The fruit is large, oval and covered with a thick rind that has hexagonal protrusions. Inside the fruit, we find the yellow, fleshy and banana-flavoured carpel or large "bulbs" (which are botanically the perianths) massed among narrow ribbons of thin, tough undeveloped perianths (or perigones), around a central, pithy core. Each bulb encloses a smooth, oval, light-brown coloured "seed" (endocarp) covered by a thin white membrane (exocarp).

Aonla or Indian gooseberry (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) is one of the most important traditional but underutilized fruits of Indian origin, having immense potentiality of cultivation on marginal and waste lands. It belongs to  family Euphorbiaceae and sub-family Phyllanthoidae. Aonla tree thrives well throughout the tropical and sub-tropical parts of India either found growing wild or cultivated. Aonla is a quite hardy, prolific bearer and highly remunerative even without much care. It can be grown easily on calcareous and slightly saline as well as alkaline soils where common fruit crops do not thrive.
 
Aonla is regarded as sacred by Hindus and has great mythological significance. According to Hindu mythology, one day meal is arranged beneath an aonla tree during Kartik (October) when trees are laden with fruits. Hindu religion also prescribes that ripe fruits of aonla be eaten for forty days after fast  to restore health and vitality known as Kaya Kalp (Benthal, 1946).

Persimmons are mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The genus contains nearly 400 species including the horticulturally important, Diospyros kaki, D. virginiana and D. lotus. The persimmon cultivated mainly for fruit is D. kaki, which is called the Japanese persimmon, Oriental persimmon, or simply Kaki. The generic name is derived from the Greek ‘dios’ (meaning divine) and ‘pyros’ (meaning grain of wheat), referring to the excellent fruit of the genus. The specific name kaki is from the Japanese common name given by Carl Peter Thunberg (1743–1828), a Swedish naturalist and medical doctor, and a pupil of Linnaeus. He stayed in Japan from 1775 to 1776 and published “Flora Japonica” in 1784 introducing many Japanese plants.

The pecan is one of the important nut crops of the world occupying fifth position among the tree nuts. It is one of the most valuable nuts and a gift of North America to the whole world. In USA, it is considered as “Queen of nuts” because of its value as wild and cultivated crop. Besides USA, pecan cultivation is being done in Australia, Canada, Egypt, India, Israel, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Turkey and South Africa. Pecan is under cultivation only for the last about 100 years but gained enormous popularity as compared to other nut fruits which are growing since time immemorial.

In India, pecan cultivation was introduced in  1935 at Government Fruit Farm, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh. Some of the pecan plants also exist at Jardari orchard, Kandaghat, Distt. Solan and this plant material was probably introduced from California during 1950 by the erstwhile Maharaja of Patiala. It’s introduction to Uttrakhand dates back to mid fifties when Dr. Boshisen, the founder of Vivekanand Laboratory planted a few saplings of pecan at Hawalbagh in Almora hills.

A nectarine (Prunus persica var. nectarina) is a fuzz less variety of peach. The word nectarine means as sweet as nectar and this is very likely the obvious origin of the name. Though peaches and nectarines are commonly regarded as different fruits with nectarines often erroneously believed to be crossbred between peaches and plums or peach with plum skin. But it is not a cross between a peach and plum. They belong to same species as peaches. The smooth skin of peaches is a minor genetic variation. Fuzziness is a dominant trait of peaches. Occasionally when peach trees are crossed or self pollinated they produce some fruit whose seeds will grow into nectarine trees and others which will be peach trees. Nectarines will some time appear on peach trees, and peaches sometime appear on nectarine trees. It is impossible to tell which seeds from nectarine trees produce nectarine bearing trees, so commercial growers take branches which produce nectarines and graft them on to peach trees. These branches continue to produce nectarine.
 
In appearance, nectarine trees are same as peach trees, and are virtually indistinguishable from one another. Tree size and shape, leaves, and even buds look the same. Nectarines, however, are smaller and smooth skinned (ripe fruits look the same as unripe- the colour does not change significantly,

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) belongs to family Moraceae. The Latin name is derived from Greek words (artos = bread, karpos = fruit), and altilis meaning ‘fat’. Baked or roasted in a fire, the fruit has a starchy texture and fragrance, reminiscent of fresh baked food.

Breadfruit is an important staple crop and component of traditional agro-forestry systems in the Pacific for more than 3,000 years. This species originated in the South Pacific and spread throughout Oceania by intrepid islanders settling the numerous islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Due to efforts of Captain Bligh and French voyagers, a few seedless varieties from Polynesia were introduced to the Caribbean in the late 1700s. These gradually spread to other tropical regions. Breadfruit is now grown in close to 90 countries.

The North East region represents eight states namely Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Sikkim consisting 7.79% of the Indian national geographical area. The altitude difference (50m-7000m) coupled with varied physio- geographic and agroclimatic conditions; varying intensity of rainfall (800-12000 mm) and topography harbour various vegetation types of tropical, temperate and alpines zones. In India, there are about 800 plant species used as food plants chiefly  by the tribal population (Singh and Arora, 1978). Out of these about 300 species are prevalent in the northeastern region (Khrasati, 1973, Joseph and Murti, 1981, Singh et al. 1981).

Tribals of various ethnic groups like Khasi, Garo, Monpas, Karbis, Jaintia, Naga, Kuki, Manipuri, Mizo, Chakma, Dafla, Adi, Mishing, Apatani and others are predominant in the various habitats of hilly regions also used to practice “Jhumming” or shifting cultivation. Most of wild fruits are used  in day to day diets of tribal people of the region and are often sold in the local markets.

Among the temperate fruits, nuts have occupied an important position and can be grown in cold arid conditions on marginal lands of Indian hills without much care. In many countries, nut fruits are cultivated in marginal lands, hill slopes under rain fed conditions following the non intensive cultural practices by using cultivars selected to different environments using low quality ecotypes with poor yield. Although; these crops showed much potential to produce more yield provided cultivation in suitable environment condition along with high tech orchard management practices. The major nut fruits grown in world are almond, walnut, pecan, pistachio, hazelnut or filbert, chestnut and macadamia nut. In India, the full potential of almond and walnut has been exploited to great extent. The potential of other nuts are yet to be utilized and need special attention.

In India, nut fruits have not been given due importance in hills compared to pome and stone fruits although much potential exists. Amongst the nut fruits, the potentials of almond and walnut have been exploited to some extent but others are still in the underutilized condition. The main almond and walnut growing states of India are Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and North-Eastern states.

White yams are food plants belonging to genus Dioscorea and family Dioscoreaceae with about 600 species. White yams are among the 10 species of edible yam and belong to species rotundata (D. rotundata Poir). It originated in West Africa.

White yams are herbaceous annual climbers. Its vine arises from large underground stem that is technically called tuber rather than root (Armstrong, 1996). The underground stem thickens to produce one or more tubers which vary in size and shape. The plant bears green flowers that turn brown on maturity and when dry. The aerial stem may be smooth or thorny which could be round/cylindrical (O’ Hair, 1984). Vines can grow to sizeable lengths if provided with a rigid support. Vine length varies within and among species. The leaves could be alternate or opposite, usually heart shaped and may be smooth or hairy. In some varieties, bulbils are formed but this is real in white yam.

Mature seed samples of Vigna dalzelliana (O.Kuntze) Verdc. were analysed for proximate composition, total (true) seed protein fractions, amino acid composition, fatty acids profiles, mineral and antinutritional factors. The investigated seed samples contained higher amount of crude protein, crude fat, ash and nitrogen free extractives and constitute 27.33,7.48,6.71 and 50.12g/100g. seed powder respectively. The calorific value of seed material was 377.12  K.cal / 100 g Dm. The essential amino acids, isoleucine, tyrosine and phenylalanine, were present in relatively large quantities. The fatty acid profiles revealed that the seed lipids contained higher concentrations of palmitic and linoleic acids. The seeds are rich in sodium, phosphorous, calcium, zinc, manganese and iron. Anti-nutritional factors, such as total free phenols (8.26%), tannins (6.1875 %), L-DOPA (0.96%), hydrogen cyanide (1.94 %) and phytic acid (7.32%) are present in variable quantities. This paper presents the analytical data on the chemical composition and nutritional potential of Vigna dalzelliana seeds with regard to its suitability as a regular component in human diet.

India is the second largest producer of vegetables in the world. Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi recommends intake of 125g leaf vegetables, 100g roots and 75g other vegetables/ day / adult for a balanced diet. Green leaf vegetables occupy an important place among the food crops as these provide adequate amounts of many vitamins and minerals for humans. Besides this, leaf vegetables are easy to grow and readily fit in any cropping system owing to its short duration. They are rich sources of carotene, ascorbic acid, riboflavin, folic acid and minerals like calcium, iron and phosphorus (Ramdasmurthy and Mohanram, 1984).
 
In nature, there are many greens of promising nutritive value, which can nourish the ever increasing human population. In spite of their nutritional importance, in India, leaf vegetable production is limited to kitchen gardens and market gardens due to various reasons. Although they can be raised comparatively at lower management costs even on poor marginal lands, they have remained underutilized due to lack of awareness and popularization of technologies for utilization.

Greens and salad crops are grown for their foliage and are used since antiquity in soups, boiled, pickled or eaten raw and are recognized as important ingredients in the diet. Stephen Switzer, in Practical Kitchen Gardner (1727) identified 30-40 species as raw salads. Plants like Purslane, Burdock, Orache, Borage, Salad Burnet, Sea Kale, Dandelion, French Sorrel, Alexanders and many other plants are used as greens.
 
Greens and salads are very well represented in the garden works of John Randolph and Joseph Prentis in Williamsburg who  described that markets carried a wide selection of greens making available to the general public. But the salad greens were not mentioned in local diaries as often as common vegetables like cauliflowers, artichokes or melons, because they were used more as a garnish than as a main dish.
 
The popularity of individual varieties of greens changed over time. Many of the minor greens, like Purslane and Alexanders were common in the 17th century and before, but largely disappeared by the 18th century. Rocket, or Arugula, was listed by all authors in 16th and 17th century works but fell out of favor in England by the middle of  18th century.

In spite of late introduction, different forms of chilli (Capsicum spp.) did spread throughout the length and breadth of India. Diverse soil and climatic conditions prevailing in different parts of Kerala have contributed to the development of different ecotypes in chilli. Warm humid climate in the coastal belts, dry and arid climate in the central eastern parts and mild subtropical to temperate climate in the high ranges provide ideal condition for development, maintenance and spread of different ecotypes in the crop. Plethora of chilli varieties capturing the markets of Kerala comprise of different species.

Capsicum chinense commonly known as Ney Mulaku, Karanampotti Mulaku is gaining popularity in the state due to increasing demand from Maldives during Ramzan period. Hence the crop is also known in yet another name Mali Mulaku. This species is characterized by perennial and spreading nature with medium sized oblong to round, fleshy and highly pungent fruits. It  yields substantially higher under shaded condition and there is less incidence of diseases like bacterial wilt and collar rot. Hence the species is ideal for homestead cultivation. Due to its tolerance to shade, the species can be successfully grown as an inter crop in coconut, rubber, pepper and banana plantations.

Energy remains the mainstay of civilized world. The priorities may lay in cost economics, environment friendliness, import substitution, or self-sufficiency as strategic objectives.  By the year 2050, worldwide energy demand is projected to be at least twice today’s level. Energy and environment are sectors that are of concern for policy makers and scientists.  Indian scenario is unique and different from other developed or developing countries. It has vast areas that lay waste and are not being utilized for cultivation since these are unfertile, dry, sodic, saline, or alkaline. Majority of its population lives in villages.
 
Energy supply must be sustainable and diverse and energy needs to be used more efficiently. Sustainable energy supply, both in the short- and the long-term, is needed for promoting both economic development and people’s quality of life, as well as protecting the environment. We also need a greater diversification of energy resources to ensure against risk of price rises and supply disruptions.