Survey of Ethnobotanical Plants Used by People Of Village Khanrotu (Rampur Bushhar), Shimla, Himachal Pradesh (India)

Introduction:The traditional knowledge of ethnobotany help in existence of local population and acquiring such knowledge can improve the modern living as well. Ethnobotany is made up of two words ?ethno? means study of people and ?botany? means study of plants. Himachal Pradesh is a small mountainous state in the North-West Himalayan region and is well known for its biological diversity. Many plant species are rare and it makes the floristic richness even more important besides having high flora and fauna. The state has high value of medicinal and herbal plants which plays an important role in the upliftment of the rural people. The present study was with the aim of enhancing the knowledge of the ethnobotanical aspects of rural people of Himachal Pradesh. Material and Methods:The study area lied in Rampur tehsil of Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh, India. The village Khanortu was the fourth ward of Taklech panchayat of Rampur tehsil. The study area was located between the co-ordinates 31?22?58?N and 77?42?55?E. It was at 133 km from the district headquarters, Shimla. For the collection of data, a semi-structured questionnaire was prepared and conferences/ interviewwith respondents also conducted. Results: The present investigation has revealed the usage of twenty three plant species for food (nineteen plants) and fodder (seven plants) purpose, three plants were recorded to be used for both purpose. These documented plants includes twenty angiosperms (87%), one gymnosperm (4.34%), one pteridophyta (4.34%) and one fungi (4.34%) belonging to 16 different families and 18 genera. Conclusion: The present study was helpful in understanding, how villagers of Khanrotu village used sustainably these plants and maintained this traditional knowledge as a heritage for future generation.