Wild edible fruits used by Badagas of Nilgiri District, Western Ghats, Tamilnadu, India

Nilgiri means "Blue Mountains". The entire area of the Blue Mountains constitutes the present district of Nilgiri. It was originally a tribal land and was occupied by the Todas, Kotas, Kurumbas, Kattunayakkas and Panyas. Among them, the Badagas are one of the major communities in the district who reside in the mountain as long as other tribal population. The weather in this district favours the growth of wild edible fruit crops. There are many edible fruits existing naturally in forest as well as in cultivable areas. These fruit plants are playing vital role in providing nutritional and economic values in the rural areas. This paper lists 30 wild edible fruits used by the Badagas of Nilgiri District for their conservation and cultivation purpose. But the commercial importance and the market value of these wild fruits is unknown to them. Hence this study is being taken to conserve those wild edible fruits and cultivate in large scale, to uplift their economic status in near future. Key words: Badagas, wild edible fruits, conservation, Nilgiris.