Wild edible mushrooms (WEM) are known for its medicinal and nutritional value across the globe. WEM have become one of the most prized after food especially in the developed countries where people are mostly health conscious. The present study throws light on the diverse flora of WEMs of Nagaland and how it can be income generator for the tribal people with proper research in this aspect. Till now, the knowledge of distinguishing between edible and non-edible varieties is only confined to people who go for mushroom hunting. As such the indigenous knowledge remains with only those few people involved. The current data can pave the way for future research work and also make people aware of the many varieties of WEMs available in the state. A total of 33 WEMs were collected and identified during the peak mushroom season of the state i.e. from end May to September of every study year.

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With the rapid rise in the population, there is higher demand of the food supply to fed millions of people. As such dependence on the few major staple crops to meet the needs of the people has led to increases in starvation and poverty. Underutilized edible plants offer a cheaper and affordable option in providing more crop diversification to tackle these problems and provide food security to the poor to the world in general and to the developing countries in particular. In the present investigation, a total of 142 underutilized edible plants were collected, identified and documented from three districts (Kohima, Phek and Tuensang) of Nagaland, India. The collected plant consists of 126 species of plants and 16 wild edible mushrooms or macro fungus species. The collected plants were categorized according to types of plant and their parts used collected during the period 2012-2016 with their scientific name, family, common name, vernacular name and accession number. The study discusses the need to promote these plants for providing food security and income generation through sustainable collection, cultivation and marketing and to workout proper conservation strategies to prevent depletion and lost of the natural habitat caused by anthropogenic activities. The study also encourages more survey and researches in the rest of the districts of the state and to study the phytochemical constituents to harness the nutraceutical properties of these plants.

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