B I O D I V E R S I T A S
ISSN: 1412-033X
Volume 15, Number 2, October 2014 E-ISSN: 2085-4722
Pages: 229-235 DOI: 10.13057/biodiv/d150216
Plant diversity in the homegardens of Karwar, Karnataka, India
SHIVANAND BHAT
1,2,♥
, M. JAYAKARA BHANDARY
1
, L. RAJANNA
3
1
Department of Botany, Government Arts and Science College, Karwar-581301, Karnataka, India. Tel.+91-8382-226362, Fax. +91-8382-226362,
♥
email: botssbhat2007@rediffmail.com.
2
Department of Botany, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India.
3
Department of Botany, Bangalore University, Jnanabharathi, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Manuscript received: 22 May 2014. Revision accepted: 25 July 2014.
ABSTRACT
Bhat S, Bhandary MJ, Rajanna L. 2014. Plant diversity in the homegardens of Karwar, Karnataka, India. Biodiversitas 15: 229-235. A
study was conducted in 50 selected home gardens of Karwar, Karnataka, India to document their floristic diversity and composition with
regard to life forms and uses. As many as 210 species of flowering plants belonging to 69 families were recorded. Euphorbiaceae
(13species), Apocynaceae (11spp.), Cucurbitaceae (10 spp.) and Fabaceae (10 spp.) are the predominant families. Shrubs are the
dominant life forms (73 spp.) followed by trees (61 spp.), herbs (42 spp.) and climbers (24 spp.). Areca palm (Areca catechu), coconut
palm (Cocos nucifera), mango tree (Mangifera indica), banana (Musa paradisiaca), shoe flower (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) and holy basil
(Ocimum tenuiflorum) are the most common plants occurring in all of the 50 studied gardens. 38% of the plant species are grown mainly
for ornamental and aesthetic purposes while 33% of the species are used for obtaining food products like fruits and vegetables and 22%
of the plants are mainly used for medicinal purposes. The predominance of ornamental species makes the home gardens of Karwar
different from those occurring in other regions in which mostly food plants form the major component.
Key words: Biodiversity conservation, homegarden biodiversity, Karnataka, India.
INTRODUCTION
Tropical home gardens are traditional agro-forestry
systems characterized by the complexity of their structure
and multiple functions (Das and Das 2005). They are,
presumably, the oldest form of managed land-use systems
next only to shifting cultivation (Kumar and Nair 2004).
Homegardens are defined as land-use systems involving
deliberate management of multipurpose trees and shrubs in
intimate association with annual and perennial agricultural
crops and invariably livestock within the compounds of the
individual houses (Fernandes and Nair 1986).
Homegardens are dynamic in their evolution, composition
and uses. Besides ensuring a diverse and stable supply of
socio-economic products and services such as food,
medicine, firewood, fodder, timber, etc. to the families that
maintain them, home gardens are also recognised as important
in situ sites of biodiversity conservation, especially of agro
biodiversity. They also invite the attention of researchers as
interesting models of sustainable agroecosystems charac-
terised by efficient nutrient recycling, low external inputs,
soil conservation potential, ecofriendly management practices,
etc (Torquebiau 1992; Jose and Shanmugaratnam 1993).
Homegardens have been reported mainly from the
tropical and sub-tropical regions of Asia, Africa and Meso-
america and also from other regions like North America
and Europe (Nair and Kumar 2006). In India, research on
home gardens have been mainly concentrated in Kerala
(Kumar et al. 1994; Puskaran 2002), Assam (Das and Das
2005) and Andaman islands (Pandey et al. 2006, 2007). No
scientific data is so far available from Karnataka State but
for a study of tree species in the village ecosystems (Shastri
et al. 2002). This study is therefore planned with the main
objectives of inventorying the plant biodiversity of
homegardens of the villages of Karwar of Karnataka State,
India and understanding its uses. The data thus generated
will form the basis for further studies regarding the
structure and socio-economic contributions of home
gardens of Karnataka, India.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Karwar is a taluk (revenue sub-division) and
administrative headquarters of Uttara Kannada district of
Karnataka state of India. This area is situated between 14°
48' N latitude and 74° 11' E longitude and is surrounded by
the West Coast and the Western Ghats of India. The total
geographical area of the taluk is 724.12 sq kms. The
present study was conducted in 10 villages of Karwar
namely Arga, Chendya, Amadalli, Guddalli, Shirawad,
Kadawad, Kinnar, Siddar, Ulaga and Halaga (Figure 1).
The people of the region represent a mixture of rich
ethnic and cultural diversity. Brahmin, Halakki Gouda,
Komar Panth, Konkan Marath, etc. are the predominant
communities inhabiting this region. The area is still
predominantly agrarian with other livelihood activities such
as forest produce and firewood gathering, small scale
business, etc. Paddy (Oryza sativa) is the principal crop
cultivated. ‘Konkani’ and ‘Kannada’ are the main languages.
B I O D I V E R S I T A S
15 (2): 229-235, October 2014
230
Figure 1. Map of study locations in Karwar, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka, India. A. Karnataka of India, B. Uttara Kannada of Karnataka,
C. Karwar of Utarra Kannada. D. Detailed map of study site in Karwar.
The 50 home gardens covering the 10 chosen villages
of the study area were selected for inventorying the floristic
composition. In each of the home garden, a detailed survey
of the plant species was made during different seasons of
the study period which was extending from June 2013 to
March 2014. The elder members of the household were
interviewed to gather information about the local names,
parts used and the uses of plant species present in their
home gardens. Plants in the Home gardens were identified
with the help of local flora and other relevant literature
(Cooke 1967; Bhat 2003).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The size of home gardens studied ranged from 0.01ha
to 0.05ha, the average size being 0.02ha. A total of 210
species of flowering plants have been recorded from the 50
gardens during different seasons of the study period (Table
1). They belonged to 69 plant families. Families which are
represented by 10 or more number of species are
Euphorbiaceae (13 species), Apocynaceae (11spp.),
Cucurbitaceae (10 spp.) and Fabaceae (10 spp.). The 21
most important families with 4 or more number of species
are shown in Fig.2. The minimum number of plants
recorded in a garden is 44 and the maximum recorded
number in a garden is 138. Species diversity depended on
size of the garden and highest percentage of gardens (32%)
had species numbers ranging from 61 to 70 (Figure 3). 10
gardens had more than 70 species, out of which only one
had more than 100 species.
Life-form analysis of the plant species (Figure 4)
indicated that shrubs are the predominant forms with 73
species which account for 35% of the total recorded
species. 61 species are trees (29%), 42 herbs (20%) and 34
are climbers (16%).
The species diversity of the home gardens of Karwar
appears to be considerably high when compared to other
parts of India. 122 species of plants are reported from the
gardens of Barak Valley, Assam (Das and Das 2005), trees
being the dominant forms. Number of plants reported from
the Kerala home gardens by different workers ranges from
65 to 127 (Nair and Shreedharan 1986, Kumar et al. 1994,
John and Nair 1999). However, higher diversity is found in
the home gardens of Northern Thailand (230 species, Black
et al. 1996), Nicaragua (324 species, Mendez et al. 2001)
and West Java (602 species, Karyona 1990).
The 20 most common plants occurring in more than
75% of the studied homegardens are shown in Figure 5.
Coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), mango tree (Mangifera
indica), shoe flower (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) and holy basil
(Ocimum sanctum) are present in all the gardens (100%
occurrence). Jack fruit tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus),
areca palm (Areca catechu), banana (Musa paradisiaca)
and basal leaf (Basella alba) are the other common plants
which are recorded from more than 90% of the gardens.
A
C
B
D
BHAT et al. – Homegardens plant of Karwar, India
231
Areca palm, coconut palm and banana plants are also the
most dominant and important species in the gardens of
Kerala (Jose and Shanmugaratanam 1993), Assam (Das
and Das 2005) and Andamans (Pandey et al. 2006).
Homegardens are also used as a place to maintain a few
elite mother plants of some of the economically important
plants mentioned above.
The species of plants in the home gardens of Karwar
can be assigned into five major use categories as
ornamental, medicinal, fruit yielding, vegetable yielding
and others or miscellaneous which includes plants used as
firewood source, timber yielding, fencing, etc. (Figure 6).
This categorization is based on the main use of the plant as
defined by the home garden owners as many plants are
used for more than one of the above purposes. In the
present study, ornamental plants are the most important use
category with 38% of the recorded species belonging to
this group which out numbers both of the food yielding
Figure 2. Important families of plants in the homegardens of
Karwar, India.
Figure 3. Number of species in the homegardens of Karwar, India.
Figure 4. Composition of different plant life forms in the
homegardens of Karwar, India.
Figure 5. Most common plant species in the homegardens of
Karwar, India.
Figure 6. Different plant use categories in the homegardens of
Karwar, India.
Gardenia thunbergia
Dracaena terniflora
Carica papaya
Ixora chinensis
Averrhoa bilimbi
Tinospora cordifolia
Catharanthus roseus
Psidium guajava
Jasminum grandiflorum
Crossandra infundibuliformis
Colocasia esculenta
Capsicum minima
Basella alba
Musa paradisiaca
Areca catechu
Artocarpus heterophyllus
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Cocos nucifera
Mangifera indica
Ocimum sanctum
Homegarden (%)
Poaceae
Oleaceae
Annonaceae
Rutaceae
Myrtaceae
Moraceae
Anacardiaceae
Lamiaceae
Asteraceae
Araceae
Amaranthaceae
Zingiberaceae
Malvaceae
Verbenaceae
Solanaceae
Acanthaceae
Rubiaceae
Fabaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Apocynaceae
Euphorbiaceae
Number of plant species
Number of gardens
Number of plant species
B I O D I V E R S I T A S
15 (2): 229-235, October 2014
232
Table 1. Species diversity in the homegardens of Karwar, Karnataka, India.
Botanical name
Family
Local Name
Habit
Uses
Abelmoschus esculentus (L) Moench
Malvaceae
Bendekayi
Shrub
Veg
Acacia auriculiformis A.Cunn.
Fabaceae
Acacia
Tree
Misc
Acalypha wilkesiana Muell.-Arg
Euphorbiaceae
Copper croton
Shrub
Orn
Acorus calamus L.
Araceae
Bhaje
Herb
Med
Adhatoda zeylanica Medikus
Acanthaceae
Aadusoge
Shrub
Med
Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa
Rutaceae
Bilva
Tree
Med
Aerva lanata (L.) Juss.
Amaranthaceae
Bilihindi soppu
Herb
Med
Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth
Fabaceae
Kalbaage
Tree
Misc
Allamanda cathartica L.
Apocynaceae
Mithaihoo
Climber
Orn
Alocasia macrorrhiza (L.) G.Don
Araceae
Marasanige
Shrub
Veg
Aloe vera (L.) Burm.F.
Liliaceae
Lolesara
Herb
Med
Alpinia galanga (L.) SW.
Zingiberaceae
Kallu shunti
Herb
Med
Alstonia scholaris (L.) R.Br.
Apocynaceae
Haalemara
Tree
Med
Alternanthera bettzickiana (Regel) Voss
Amaranthaceae
Show gida
Herb
Orn
Alternanthera dentata L.
Amaranthaceae
Rudrakshi hoo
Herb
Orn
Amaranthus hybridus L.
Amaranthaceae
Bili harige
Shrub
Veg
Amaranthus tricolour L.
Amaranthaceae
Harive soppu
Herb
Veg
Amorphophallus commutatus (Schott) Engl
Araceae
Suvarnagadde
Shrub
Veg
Anacardium occidentale L.
Anacardiaceae
Geru mara
Tree
Fr
Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.
Bromaliaceae
Parangi
Tree
Fr
Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wall
Acanthaceae
Kirath kaddi
Herb
Med
Angelonia salicariifolia Humb&Bonpl
Scrophulariaceae
Aame hoo
Herb
Orn
Annona muricata L.
Annonaceae
Hanumaanphala
Tree
Fr
Annona reticulate L.
Annonaceae
Ramphala
Tree
Fr
Annona squamosa L.
Annonaceae
Seetaphala
Tree
Fr
Antigonon leptopus Hook.&Arn.
Polygonaceae
Peppermint hovu
Climber
Orn
Areca catechu L.
Arecaceae
Adike
Tree
Fr
Artocarpus gomezianus Wall.
Moraceae
Vaate huli
Tree
Fr
Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.
Moraceae
Halasu
Tree
Fr
Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg
Moraceae
Niirhalasu
Tree
Fr
Asparagus racemosus Willd.
Liliaceae
Shatavari
Climber
Med
Asystasia gangetica (L.) Anders
Acanthaceae
Maithaaikaddi
Herb
Orn
Averrhoa bilimbi L.
Oxalidaceae
Bimbuli
Tree
Veg
Averrhoa carambola L.
Oxalidaceae
Karabalu
Tree
Fr
Bambusa arundinacea (Retz.) Roxb.
Poaceae
Bidiru
Tree
Veg
Barleria cristata L.
Acanthaceae
Gorate
Shrub
Orn
Barleria prionitis L.
Acanthaceae
Mullu gorate
Shrub
Orn
Basella alba L.
Basellaceae
Basale soppu
Climber
Veg
Bauhinia acuminate L.
Fabaceae
Bili mandara
Tree
Orn
Bauhinia tomentosa L.
Fabaceae
Mani mandara
Tree
Orn
Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn.
Cucurbitaceae
Boodukumbala
Climber
Veg
Beta vulgaris L.
Chinopodiaceae
Beet root
Herb
Veg
Bixa orellana L.
Bixaceae
Sindhoorikai
Shrub
Misc
Boerhaavia diffusa L.
Nyctaginaceae
Punarnava
Herb
Med
Bougainvillea glabra Choisy.
Nyctaginaceae
Kaagadadahoo
Shrub
Orn
Brassica oleraceae var.Gongylodes
Brassicaceae
Navilakosu
Herb
Veg
Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Swart.
Fabaceae
Huli Meesehoo
Tree
Orn
Caladium bicolor (Ait.) Vent
Araceae
Bannada gida
Herb
Orn
Calotropis gigantea (L.) R.Br.
Asclepiadaceae
Ekke
Shrub
Med
Canavalia ensiformis (L.) DC.
Fabaceae
Katti avare
Climber
Veg
Canna indica L.
Cannaceae
Kabaale
Shrub
Orn
Capsicum annuum L.
Solanaceae
Kempu menasu
Shrub
Veg
Capsicum minima L.
Solanaceae
Nuchhu menasu
Shrub
Veg
Cardiospermum halicacabum L.
Sapindaceae
Agni balli
Climber
Med
Carica papaya L.
Caricaceae
Pappale
Tree
Fr
Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don
Apocynaceae
Nityapushpa
Shrub
Orn
Celosia argentea L.
Amaranthaceae
Kolikombu
Herb
Orn
Centella asiatica (L.) Urban
Apiaceae
Ondelaga
Herb
Med
Cestrum nocturnum L.
Solanaceae
Raatri raani
Shrub
Orn
Chassalia curviflora (Wall.) Thw
Rubiaceae
Kadugarudapatala
Shrub
Med
Chrysanthemum indicum L.
Asteraceae
Sevantigehoo
Herb
Orn
Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum & Nakai
Cucurbitaceae
Kallangadi
Climber
Fr
Citrus aurantifolia Swingle.
Rutaceae
Nimbe
Shrub
Med
Citrus grandis (L.) Osbeck
Rutaceae
Sakkarakanchi
Tree
Fr
Citrus medica L.
Rutaceae
Maadala
Shrub
Fr
Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck.
Rutaceae
Kittale
Tree
Fr
BHAT et al. – Homegardens plant of Karwar, India
233
Cleome speciosa L.
Capparaceae
Meese Huvu
Shrub
Orn
Clerodendrum calamitosum L.
Verbenaceae
Kaadu mallige
Shrub
Orn
Clerodendrum inerme Gaerth.
Verbenaceae
Vishamadhari
Shrub
Orn
Clerodendrum philippinum Schau.
Verbenaceae
Madras mallige
Shrub
Orn
Clerodendrum thomsoniae L.
Verbenaceae
Rakta bakki
Climber
Orn
Clitoria ternatea L.
Fabaceae
Shankhapushpa
Climber
Orn
Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt
Cucurbitaceae
Tonde balli
Climber
Veg
Cocos nucifera L.
Arecaceae
Tengu
Tree
Fr
Codiaeum variegatum L.
Euphorbiaceae
Bannada Gida
Shrub
Orn
Coffea arabica L.
Rubiaceae
coffee
Shrub
Misc
Coleus amboinicus Lour.
Lamiaceae
Sambaarasoppu
Herb
Med
Coleus scutellarioides (L.) Benth.
Lamiaceae
Chukke gida
Shrub
Orn
Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott
Araceae
Kesu
Shrub
Veg
Cordia obliqua Willd.
Boraginaceae
Challehannu
Tree
Misc
Cosmos sulphureus Cav.
Asteraceae
Ketaki
Shrub
Orn
Costus speciosus (Koenig) Smith
Zingiberaceae
Narikabbu
Shrub
Med
Crossandra infundibuliformis (L.) Nees
Acanthaceae
Abbalige
Shrub
Orn
Cucumis sativus L.
Cucurbitaceae
Mullu savate
Herb
Veg
Cucurbita moschata (Lam.) Duch.
Cucurbitaceae
Sihikumbala
Climber
Veg
Curcuma amada Roxb.
Zingiberaceae
Ambe kombu
Herb
Veg
Curcuma caesia Roxb.
Zingiberaceae
Kuve gida
Herb
Med
Curcuma longa L.
Zingiberaceae
Arishina
Herb
Med
Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf.
Poaceae
Majjige hullu
Herb
Med
Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.
Poaceae
Garike
Herb
Med
Dahlia tuberosa Desf.
Asteraceae
Derehuvu
Shrub
Orn
Datura metel L.
Solanaceae
Keppottu soppu
Shrub
Med
Dioscorea alata L.
Dioscoreaceae
Mundigenasu
Climber
Veg
Dioscorea bulbifera L.
Dioscoreaceae
Heggenasu
Climber
Veg
Dombeya burgessiae Harv.
Sterculiaceae
December huvu
Shrub
Orn
Dracaena terniflora Roxb.
Agavaceae
Dracena
Shrub
Orn
Duranta erecta L.
Verbenaceae
Duranta
Shrub
Orn
Emilia sonchifolia (L.) DC.
Asteraceae
Ilikivi
Herb
Veg
Ervatamia divaricata (L.) Alston
Apocynaceae
Nandibattalu
Shrub
Orn
Eryngium foetidum L.
Apiaceae
Rakshasa kottumbari
Herb
Med
Euphorbia cyathophora Murray
Euphorbiaceae
Bannada gida
Shrub
Orn
Euphorbia neriifolia L.
Euphorbiaceae
Kalli gida
Shrub
Orn
Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd.ex Klotzsch
Euphorbiaceae
Bannada ele
Shrub
Orn
Ficus racemosa L.
Moraceae
Attimara
Tree
Med
Ficus religiosa L.
Moraceae
Ashwattha
Tree
Misc
Garcinia indica (Dupetit-Thouars) Choisy
Clusiaceae
Murugalu
Tree
Med
Gardenia angusta (L.) Merr.
Rubiaceae
Nandi Battalu
Shrub
Orn
Gardenia thunbergia L.
Rubiaceae
Nanjattale
Shrub
Orn
Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Walp
Fabaceae
Gobbara gida
Tree
Misc
Gloriosa superba L.
Liliaceae
Gowri Huvu
Climber
Med
Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.) R.Br.
Asclepiadaceae
Madhunashini
Climber
Med
Hedychium coronarium Koenig.
Zingiberaceae
Sugandi
Shrub
Orn
Hibiscus mutabilis L.
Malvaceae
Chandrakanti
Shrub
Orn
Hibiscus radiatus Cav.
Malvaceae
Mullu dasal
Shrub
Orn
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.
Malvaceae
Daasavaala
Tree
Orn
Hibiscus schizopetalus (Mast.) Hook.f.
Malvaceae
Gante daasavaala
Shrub
Orn
Hibiscus syriacus L.
Malvaceae
Nili dasal
Shrub
Orn
Holarrhena pubescens (Buch-Ham) Wall.
Apocynaceae
Kodasiga
Shrub
Med
Holigarna arnottiana Hook.f.
Anacardiaceae
Holagere
Tree
Misc
Impatiens balsamina L.
Balsaminaceae
Gourihoo
Herb
Orn
Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.
Convolvulaceae
Genasu
Climber
Veg
Ipomoea carnea Jacq.subsp.fistula
Convolvulaceae
Beli gida
Shrub
Misc
Ixora brachiata Roxb.
Rubiaceae
Bili gonchalu
Tree
Orn
Ixora chinensis Lam.
Rubiaceae
Ashoka
Shrub
Orn
Ixora coccinea L.
Rubiaceae
kusumale
Shrub
Med
Jasminum grandiflorum L.
Oleaceae
Jaaji mallige
Climber
Orn
Jasminum multiflorum (Burm.f.) Andr.
Oleaceae
Sooji mallige
Climber
Orn
Jasminum sambac (L.) Ait
Oleaceae
Gundu mallige
Climber
Orn
Jatropha curcas L.
Euphorbiaceae
Audalu-haralu
Shrub
Misc
Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers.
Crassulaceae
Kaadubasale
Herb
Orn
Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.
Cucurbitaceae
Sorekai
Climber
Veg
Lawsonia inermis L.
Lythraceae
Madarangi
Shrub
Orn
Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb.
Cucurbitaceae
Heerekai
Climber
Veg
Luffa cylindrical (L.) Roem.
Cucurbitaceae
Boluheere
Climber
Veg
Lycopersicon lycopersicum (L.) Farwell.
Solanaceae
Tomato
Shrub
Veg
Macaranga peltata (Roxb.) Muell.-Arg.
Euphorbiaceae
Chandakalamar
Tree
Misc
Malvaviscus penduliflorus DC.
Malvaceae
Cheepu dasal
Shrub
Orn