Family: Dioscoreaceae Synonyms: Dioscorea crispata, Dioscorea pulchella, Dioscorea latifolia. Helmia bulbifera English names: Air potato, air yam, bitter yam, cheeky yam, potato yam. Local name: Pahadi Tardi (पहाड़ी तरडी) Pahadi Tardi is a common plant found growing all over lower to mid-hills of Western Himalayas. Tardi plant is represented by

Family: Malvaceae Synonyms: Bombax malabaricum, Gossampinus malabarica, Salmalia malabarica Common name: Silk cotton tree Local name: Simbal (सिम्बल) Trees of simbal are widely distributed all over Western Himalayas upto an elevation of 1300 metres above sea level.  These trees can be seen growing in fields, village common lands, roadsides and

Family: Fabaceae Synonyms: Bauhinia alba, Bauhinia candida, Phanera variegata. Common names: Orchid tree, camel’s foot, mountain ebony. Local names: Karyale (करयाले), kachnar (कचनार). Karyale trees can be seen growing all over India upto an elevation of 1700 metres above sea level.  Wild growing trees of this plant exist most commonly

Family:  Asparagaceae Synonyms:   Furcraea cantala Common names:  Bombay Aloe, Cantala, Cantala Fibre, Cebu Maguey, Manila Maguey Local name:    Desi Ramban (देसी रामबाण) Desi raambaan plants can be seen growing in wastelands and farm borders almost everywhere in mid hills of western Himalayan region upto an attitudinal range of 1500 m 

Family; Moraceae Common name:  White mulberry Local Name: _ Chimmu (चिम्मू), toot (तूत). In India as well as in China, the most important use of mulberry trees is the leaves, which are fed to silkworms. According to botanists, chimmu is a native of China.  In fact, mulberry, which in common

Family: Poaceae  Synonyms: Arundo bambos, Nastus arundinaceuCommon name: Bamboo, spiny bamboo, thorny bamboo.Local name: Bans (बांस) Bans can be seen growing all over India. This plant is very common in the moist deciduous forests, along streams and water courses in Western Himalayas upto an altitude of 1250 m . It forms

Family:  Amaranthaceae Synonyms:  Amaranthus acutilobus, Amaranthus gracilis Common name: Wild amaranth, slender amaranth, green amaranthus Local name:  Chaulayee (चौलाई), Jangali Chaulai Chaulayee is a cosmopolitan herb. It is commonly present in all warmer regions of India. Plant is a vigorous herb that grows wild during summer season in Western Himalayas

Family: FabaceaeSynonyms; Cassia numilis, Cassia obtusifolia,Cassia gallinaria, Cassia tora Common name:   Sickle senna, sickle pod, tora, coffee tora. Local name: Yelo(येलो), Raily (रैली) Yelo plant grows on dry soils. It is commonly found in wastelands throughout the mid-hill regions and can be seen growing on very wide climatic range starting

Family:  Boraginaceae Synonyms: Cordia wallichii, Cordia myxa, Cordia latifolia,Cordia dichotoma Common name: Clammy Cherry, Sebesten plum Local name:   Lasura, (लसूडा),Lassora, Lessora, Lasora Lassura is a quite widely distributed plant growing all over India.  However, in western Himalayas its trees are seen growing upto an elevation of 1500 metres only.  It

Family: Urticaceae English name: Stinging nettle Local name: Koogas, (कूगस,बिच्छूबूटी) Koogas Urtica parviflora is a quite widespread herbaceous perennial plant growing all over the hills up to 3700 meter. There are two other plant known by same local name viz. Urtica dioica and Girardiana heterophylla. All these three plants are