SURVEY, CHARACTERIZATION, DOCUMENTATION AND CONSIDERATION OF SOME SEDGES OF NORTH-EAST BIHAR (INDIA) REGION IN ETHNO-BOTANICAL PERSPECTIVE

North East Bihar has many rivers such as Ganga, Kosi, Gandak, Kamala etc. These perennial sources of water create seasonal flood and endow remarkable influence on the soil profile and socio-economic configuration of the people living in the area. The region is the homeland of an economically poor, landless, ethenic community called “Mushar” (rat-catchers). The people of the region depended heavily on some local germplasm of sedges consisting of Cyperus paulustris (ver. Chichor) and Scripis grossus (ver ?Kysoor?). Large sized tuber produced by these plants served a potential source of food during the time of scarcity and famine. Recent surveys conducted, have shown that these natural plant resources are becoming rare. An effort has been made to collect, characterise, converse them followed by scientific documentation, before they are lost finally from the area.