Plant Archives Vol. 20, No. 1, 2020 pp. 661-669 e-ISSN:2581-6063 (online), ISSN:0972-5210 *Author for correspondence : E-mail : samarendra.mallick1@gmail.com ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF WILD EDIBLE FOOD PLANTS USED BY THE TRIBALS AND RURAL POPULATIONS OF ODISHA, INDIA FOR FOOD AND LIVELIHOOD SECURITY Samarendra Narayan Mallick 1,2 *, Tirthabrata Sahoo 1 , Soumendra Kumar Naik 2 and Pratap Chandra Panda 1 1* Taxonomy and Conservation Division, Regional Plant Resource Centre, Bhubaneswar-751015 (Odisha), India. 2 Department of Botany, Ravenshaw University, Cuttack-753003 (Odisha), India. Abstract The Wild Edible Food Plants (WEFPs) refer to those species which are neither cultivated nor domesticated but are important source of food in tribal areas of India. Uses of wild edible food as a coping mechanism in times of food shortage, provides an important safety net for the rural poor. In Odisha, there are 62 different tribes, of which the most numerous ones are Kondh, Gond, Santal, Saora, Kolha, Shabar, Munda, Paroja, Bathudi, Bhuiyan, Oraon, Gadabas, Mirdhas and Juang. The tribals of Odisha depend on forests for their food and other needs and regularly collect and consume fruits, leafy vegetables, tubers, flowers, mushrooms etc. from the nearby forests and have acquired vast knowledge about the wild edible food plants. The present study deals with the identification, documentation, ethnobotanical exploration and information on food value of wild edible plants (WEPs) from different tribal dominated villages of Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Kalahandi, Bhitarkanika (Kendrapada), Rourkela (Sundargarh), Jeypore (Koraput), Rayagada, Ganjam, Gajapati, Nabarangapur, Phulbani district of Odisha. The ethnobotany and traditional uses of 193 wild edible plants have been dealt in this paper. Although the popularity of these wild forms of foods has declined, they are nutritionally rich and their usage need to be encouraged. Key words : Odisha, Wild edible food Plants, Tribals, Traditional knowledge, Food security. Introduction Nutrition which is a fundamental biological process for self existence of living organisms. Food and nutritional security are key concerns the world over as low food intake and poor access to food in underdeveloped countries results in malnutrition and health hazards (Belcher et al., 2005;Narendran et al., 2001; Scherr et al., 2004;Mahapatra & Panda, 2012). Food habits of human being have developed from the experience and through successive generations. Feeding in excess of 800 million undernourished people depend not only on increased productivity of domesticated crops but also the use of underutilized wild species. The wild plants and their products make significant contributions to the human and animal food web and are often a means of survival for millions of poor rural households. There is now greater recognition that products from the wild may support household subsistence and income generation from their sale, either in raw or processed forms. WEFPs are an important source of food in India and have a significant place in the dietary habits of small and marginal farmer’s families and forest dwelling communities during the periods of food scarcity ( Beluhan & Ranogajei, 2010). The food habits of tribals are generally developed according to the seasonal availability of food and their nutritional value and hence, food supply is traditionally based on their own collections. India harbours 45,000 plant species and 550 tribal communities. The tribals belong to 227 linguistic groups and they inhabit varied geographic and climatic zones with diversified plant species, varied culture, rich traditional knowledge and wisdom. From the ethnobotanical studies of wild plants indicate that more than 7000 species have been used for human food at some stage in human history (Grivetti & Ogle,