Adilabad in Andhra Pradesh is a backward district, with 37.72% of geographic area under forest cover and inhabited by 17.08% ethnic people who use the local tropical dry deciduous forests to extract Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) for self-consumption and economic subsistence. The analysis of NTFPs in six forest divisions of Adilabad district, viz. Adilabad, Bellampalli, Jannaram, Kagaznagar, Mancherial and Nirmal reveals the use of consumptive category of goods like wild food plants, honey, oils, fodder, etc. on one hand and the non-consumptive items like gums, resins, gum-resins, dyes, wax, lac, fibers, fuel wood, charcoal, fencing material, brooms, wildlife products, raw materials like bamboo and cane for handicrafts, etc. besides the medicinal plants. The NTFP diversity shows the cognitive ability of the people while the products extracted belong to 183 flowering plant species which represent 149 genera of 64 families (164 Magnoliopsida; 19 Liliopsida). The Legumes dominate the list with 31 taxa, followed by Rubiaceae (11) and Euphorbiaceae (7). Most of the NTFP species are phanerophytes (61% trees) and indigenous. The government of Andhra Pradesh has a procurement policy and price index for select NTFPs by which the stakeholders get reasonable seasonal www.ccsenet.org/jps

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The Mallur Gutta (Hill) of Warangal district in Telangana state, India, reputed as a habitat for medicinal plants, was inventoried from 2009 to 2015 for its plant wealth through the traditional knowledge of the local people. The Hindu temples of Lord Sri Laxminarasimha Swamy and Lord Hanuman, and the ethnic worship of mahua trees indicated it was a sacred grove which was selected as a Medicinal Plants Conservation Area. The exploration of Mallur Gutta resulted in the enumeration and documentation of plant wealth representing 470 species of 318 genera pertaining to 95 families of vascular plants. The importance of the grove as the residence for many rare or medicinal species in the state of Telangana is documented. The plant diversity is analyzed in terms of growth and life forms which indicate the prevailing microclimate, ecological opportunities and the species richness. The ecological services rendered by the Mallur Gutta forest ecosystem are documented to study how the great majority of the species are used by the ethnic and nonethnic people, and also the pilgrims who visit the shrine for its serenity. The study also identified two major threats to the conservation of hill ecosystem and the archeological site: 1) biotic pressure (the ever-increasing pilgrims, grazing by cattle, goat and sheep, the development activities taken up for the pilgrims, nondegradable litter thrown, collection of medicinal plants and widening of the pathway to the Chintamani perennial stream – the trampling and alien plant invasions of the marsh sustaining the stream); and 2) the potential for fire spreading from burning the litter. The study suggests the need to initiate remedial measures toward ecosystem recovery through fencing the natural vegetation, maintaining a fire line, and restricting the movement of people and domesticated animals on the hill top.

There are 16 species of Phyllanthus subgenus Phyllanthus reported from India. The present paper adds two more species that are invasive weeds in the paddy fields and on forest floors, namely Phyllanthus hookeri Muell.-Arg. and P. nozeranii Rossignol & Haicour of sect. Urinaria subsect. Urinaria of Phyllanthus. The former is somewhat woody and perennial whereas the latter is slender and monsoonal. The presence of these two taxa in India was brought to light in 1987 by Rossignol et al. based on the herbarium specimens collected earlier to 1863 and deposited at Paris from northeastern and southeastern India. Whilst Phyllanthus hookeri is overlooked or underrated by the taxonomists, P. nozeranii is misidentified and considered conspecific with P. urinaria L.

Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) have been used by ethnic and non-ethnic people for their food, shelter, medicine and commerce in Adilabad district of Northern Telangana. Over exploitation of the products has reduced the economic plant taxa and led to the loss of plant species which are essential for ecosystem diversity. The availability and distribution of the 16 NTFP species studied are not uniform in the district as per the phytosociological study. They are prioritized into three categories on the basis of score attained in the devised scale. Among these, Firmiana simplex, Givotia mulaccana, and Aegle marmelos shall receive the highest conservation priority, followed by Madhuca longifolia var. latifolia, Dendrocalamus strictus at moderate level while Terminalia bellerica, Syzygium cumini and Tamarindus indica are of low category which do not require much conservation attempt.

Phyllanthus tenellus is a dominant plant in herbaceous family to appear frequently in various humid environments in Warangal region in Telangana. This plant is used to treat different disease like urolithiasis, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes and hepatitis B. The present study developed phylogenetic relationship with secondary metabolites and other related compounds of 2 other species of Phyllanthus belongs to family Euphorbiaceae. This investigation was to establish the phylogenetic relationship with secondary metabolites and other related compounds of Phyllanthus tenellus of Euphorbiaceae family. Among them, Phyllanthus tenellus shows unique relationship with secondary metabolites, protein related compound.

A survey was conducted in 31 fringe villages of Pocharam wildlife sanctuary, Telangana, India, during 2010 to 2012, in order to explore and document the ethnobotanical knowledge of Yerukulas and Lambadis communities. There was revealed the use of 173 Angiosperm species. The pattern of the plant use as per habitat (terrestrial/aquatic), habit (growth form), plant part (organ) and taxonomic category (families), nativity and occurrence (wild/cultivated) were established. Dicots contribute more than Monocots to the medicinal and ethnobotanical use. This might be due to the species strength in the region. When the plant use-data were analyzed, trees contributed with 68 uses, followed by herbs (51), climbers (32) and shrubs (22). Perhaps this was a reflection of the floristic composition and the prevailing Phanero-therophytic climate. Out of the 173 plant taxa that were noted as being utilized by the ethnic people in the sanctuary, the greatest number (154; 89.1%) were indigenous and wild. The introduced species were the crops under cultivation and planted. Although the local people use plants for various purposes, they largely serve medicinal scopes (83.24%) and for subsistence (21.96%).

A survey was conducted in 31 fringe villages of Pocharam wildlife sanctuary, Telangana, India, during 2010 to 2012, in order to explore and document the ethnobotanical knowledge of Yerukulas and Lambadis communities. There was revealed the use of 173 Angiosperm species. The pattern of the plant use as per habitat (terrestrial/aquatic), habit (growth form), plant part (organ) and taxonomic category (families), nativity and occurrence (wild/cultivated) were established. Dicots contribute more than Monocots to the medicinal and ethnobotanical use. This might be due to the species strength in the region. When the plant use-data were analyzed, trees contributed with 68 uses, followed by herbs (51), climbers (32) and shrubs (22). Perhaps this was a reflection of the floristic composition and the prevailing Phanero-therophytic climate. Out of the 173 plant taxa that were noted as being utilized by the ethnic people in the sanctuary, the greatest number (154; 89.1%) were indigenous and wild. The introduced species were the crops under cultivation and planted. Although the local people use plants for various purposes, they largely serve medicinal scopes (83.24%) and for subsistence (21.96%).