Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 17 (2), April 2018, pp 327-335 Ethnomycological knowledge of three indigenous communities of Assam, India Nepolion Borah, RL Semwal & SC Garkoti* School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi-110067, India E-mail: sgarkoti@yahoo.com Received 9 May 2017, revised 18 December 2017 The paper presents the ethnomycological knowledge related to identification of wild edible mushrooms of three indigenous communities, viz. Karbis, Biates and Khelmas inhabiting the South western part of Dima Hasao district of the Indian state of Assam. Across the communities, a total of 92 knowledge holders were identified through chain referrals method. Semi- directive interview and group discussion methods were employed for documentation of their knowledge. The key features of the knowledge of the studied communities were overwhelmingly identical as all of them used criteria like morphological characters, aroma, and habitat for identifying edible mushrooms. A total of 19 species of wild edible mushrooms were observed to be collected by them. Though mushroom poisoning was rare among the communities; they take certain precautions and remedies which were again broadly more or less common. To avoid poisoning, Karbis never cooked epiphytic and terrestrial mushrooms together. In case of poisoning, they used fresh or dried fruits of any of the species, viz. Garcinia lanceaefolia, Gracinia sp, Hibiscus sabdariffa and Antidesma sp as home remedy. The rich ethnomycological knowledge not only helping these communities overcome food and nutraceutical deficiencies but also contributing in income generation. Keywords: Indigenous community, Traditional knowledge, Mushrooms, Mushroom poisoning, Folk taxonomy, Karbi, Biate and Khelma tribes IPC Int. Cl. 8 : A61K 36/06, A01G 18/00, D05B 91/08 Wild mushrooms are one of the important natural sources of food and income for many indigenous communities across the world 1-4 . Edible mushrooms have nutritive values containing high amount of proteins (e.g. Lactarius hatsudak, Lentinula edodes), dietary fiber (e.g. Lactarius volemus, Craterellus cornucopioides), vitamins (e.g. Cortinarius rufo- olivaceus, Collybia albuminosa) and minerals (e.g. Clitocybe maxima, Catathelasma ventricosum) 5 . These also exhibit antioxidative (e.g. Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, Hypholoma capnoides, Laccaria amethystina), antitumour and hypercholesterolic properties (e.g. Clitocybe maxima, Catathelasma ventricosum) 6-7 . Mushrooms grow in a wide variety of habitats, but most of them grow on dead and decaying organic materials 8 . All wild mushrooms growing in similar habitats and climatic conditions are not necessarily edible as some of them may be poisonous and at times fatal 9 . However, using their ethnomycological knowledge indigenous communities have been collecting and consuming wild mushrooms since time immemorial 1 . The North Eastern Himalayan Region (NEHR) of India covers eight states, viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura and is part of one of the 34 global biodiversity hotspots 10 . Dima Hasao district in the state of Assam is socially, culturally and ecologically important area of the NEHR, inhabited by indigenous Karbi, Biate and Khelma communities known for their unique cultural practices. Practicing shifting agriculture locally called as Jhum is the core economic activity of these communities. During rainy season (May-September) for meeting nutraceutical needs and sometimes to earn livelihood they collect a range of wild edibles mushrooms. Though few studies related to wild edible mushrooms have been carried out from different parts of the NEHR 2, 11-16 , comprehensive studies are lacking on indigenous knowledge employed for identification, utilization, addressing poisoning, mechanism of transfer of knowledge and market potential of wild mushrooms. Present study reports ethnomycological knowledge of the abovementioned communities inhabiting the south-western part of Dima Hasao district of Assam. The study would not only help in preserving and protecting the fast eroding traditional knowledge base but may also contribute in augmenting sustainable livelihood and neutraceutical security of the studied communities. —————— *Corresponding author