Abstract:

The paper deals with the use of fern and fern allies by different ethnic communities in Assam. Investigations were made by interrogating the village medicine man and elderly people, visits to market places and also by studying different literature. The results have been tabulated highlighting the scientific names and families of the pteridophytes along with the common names and their uses. In the study, it was also alarming to note that the traditional knowledge had been dwindling rapidly due to a more western lifestyle and if not recorded properly, it would be ever lost in near future without any option for revitalization.