Indian Journal of Natural Products and Resources, Vol. 4(2), June 2013, pp. 197-204 Wild edible macrofungal species consumed by the Khasi tribe of Meghalaya, India Polashree Khaund and S R Joshi* Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology & Bioinformatics, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong-793 022, Meghalaya, India Received 15 May 2012; Accepted 21 January 2013 Wild edible macrofungi collected from the forests by the ethnic tribes and sold in the local markets of the Khasi hills of Meghalaya, India have been documented for their traditional knowledge and ethnic relevance. The ethnic tribal population have extensive ethnomycological knowledge based on which they discretely collect and sell the edible macrofungi. We observed considerable diversity among the edible macro-fungal species sold in the local markets. During the study period a total of 11 different species were identified based on their morphology that belonged to 9 genera and 8 families. Clavulina spp. was the most abundantly available species whereas Albatrellus spp. was rarely available in the local markets. Keywords: Wild edible, Macrofungi, Ethnic tribes, Clavulina spp., Mushrooms. IPC code; Int. cl. (2011.01)-A61K 36/00 Introduction Macrofungi such as mushrooms serve as important dietary food in many countries 1 . Throughout history many cultures have built-up a practical knowledge of which mushrooms are suitable to eat and those that are poisonous 2 . Wild edible fungi (WEF) are a natural resource with a high nutritional and economic value. Studies confirm that they are an important source of food and income in both developing and developed countries 3-5 . They are sold in local markets 6,7 or commercially exploited as food 8,9 or medicines 10-12 . Some workers have dealt with the ethnomycological aspects in different parts of India and the world 13-16 . In North-East India, wild mushrooms are sold in the local markets and are known to provide sustenance to the local people and forest dwellers during the lean period (rainy season) when other non-wood forest products are unavailable in the forests 17 . Such wild edible mushrooms from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur have already been reported 18-21 . There are a few reports on wild edible mushrooms of Meghalaya and their nutritional value 22,23 but the ethnic knowledge documentation on their food value, collection criteria and market cost is completely lacking. The tribal people of Meghalaya are very close to nature and have acquired enormous knowledge about plant wealth and the utilization of different forest products 24,25 . Meghalaya has a mycophilic society comprising of ethnic groups that have extensive traditional mycological knowledge. The varieties of mushrooms consumed by the local tribes have always been harvested from wild habitats and no efforts have been made to cultivate these varieties on a commercial scale. The discrimination on the poisonous nature of the collected mushrooms is based on the traditional knowledge of the tribes. With growing urbanisation, and changes in the food habits accruing due to it, the ancient tradition of gathering and consuming wild mushrooms by the local tribes is slowly on the decline 23 . The present study was, therefore, aimed at documenting the most widely collected wild edible macro-fungal resources consumed by the Khasi tribe and their availability in the local markets of the east Khasi hills of Meghalaya, India, with a view to document the ethnic knowledge and explore for their bioprospection and value addition. Materials and Methods Study area The east Khasi hills is the most populated district among the seven districts of the State of Meghalaya 26 (Plate 1). The district occupies an area of 2748 Sq Km and lies between 25°07” & 25°41” N and 91°21” & 92°09” E comprising mainly of the Khasi and the Jaintia tribes. Forests occupy 35.34% of the land —————— *Correspondent author: E-mail: srjoshi2006@yahoo.co.in Phone: +91364 2722405 Fax: +91364 2550076