COLLECTING AROIDS DIVERSITY IN NORTH EASTERN INDIA

Abstract

The north eastern region of India lies between 21° 57' and
29° 28' N 89° 40' and 97° 25' E and includes the states of Assam,
Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and
Tripura. The aroids belonging to Colocasia, XantJlOsomn,
Amorphophnllus and Alocnsin genera are mostly _used as staple or
subsistance food. The corms and cormels are rich in starch and
used as vegetables. The leaves and petioles of a Colocnsin and
Xanthosomn are cooked and eaten as vegetables. Different aroids
have medicinal and ornamental importance also. Ample scope exists
for explorting the potentialities of these crops. An assembly of
diverse genetic stocks and understanding the nature and magnitude
of variability among these genetic stocks would help in identifying
the desirable cultivars for commercial cultivation. An attempt has
been made to describe species distribution,