Abstract:

Uses of wild and semi-wild Citrus are inculcated in the culture of tribal people of Meghalaya owing to its ubiquitous distribution and availability. In this paper, the traditional uses of Citrus hystrix DC syn. Citrus macroptera Montrouz., Citrus latipes (Swingle) Yu.Tanaka and Citrus indica Yu.Tanaka by the Khasi and Garo tribes of Meghalaya are documented. The study was conducted in 16 villages of the state having significant area under forest with Citrus species as natural component of forest vegetation using standard socio economic research methods. Distribution of these species are mostly confined to sacred groves, community conserved forests, core zone of protected areas and home gardens.