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["Dr. Chiranjit Parmar" <parmarch@vsnl.com>]

WILD FRUITS OF THE SUB-HIMALAYAN REGION
by
Chiranjit Parmar & M.K. Kaushal

        

This book
presents the first authoritative and comprehensive account
of various characteristics of morphological, taxonomical, horticultural
and economic importance of 26 wild growing fruits of the mid-hill region
of the Himalayas.  This treatise is not a mere
compilation of the information from earlier books, but is the
outcome of a study carried out by the authors on these fruits in order to
evaluate them from economic and commercial standpoints.  To make the
work more useful, the authors have also consulted other sources including
ancient Sanskrit texts on AYURVEDA for compiling all other available
information on the medicinal properties and other uses of these
plants.  the book therefore carries detailed information on
morphology, flowering and fruiting season, cropping, nutritive value,
fruit quality, medicinal properties, utilization, scope for domestication
etc. in respect of each fruit. It is for the
first time that such detailed information about these fruits has been
placed under a single cover.

        

The
fruits of many of these wild plants are of marketable quality.  The
villagers gather them from the forests for sale in small hill towns or
along the highways.  Most plants are multipurpose type as they have
other uses too besides yielding edible fruits.  I am confident
that if well organized efforts are made to promote them, a few of them
might turn out to be successful new fruit crops like kiwi
fruit.  It is really unfortunate that very few people are aware
of the existence so useful and valuable plants even in their home
homeland, India.

        

The book
has 148 pages and is profusely illustrated with 47
plates.  An index of vernacular names/regional names of these
fruits in India and glossary different technical, Sanskrit and Hindi
terms used in the text also appear in the end.

CONTENTS

        

Aegle
marmelos,   Aesculus indica;  Berberis
aristata,   Carissa spinarum, Cordia obliqua,  DARU the
sour wild pomegranate,  Eleagnus umbellata,  Emblica
officinalis(Himalayan strain),  Ficus palmata,  Ficus
roxburghii,  Flacourtia sapiba,  Fragaria indica,  Murraya
koeningii(Himalayan strain),  Myrica nagi,  Opuntia
dillenii,  Phoenix sylvestris, Physalis minima,  Kateru strain
of wild peaches,  Pyrus pashia,  Pyrus serotina,  Rubus
ellipticus,  Rubus niveus, Vitis himalayana,  Vitis
lanata,  ZARDALU strain of wild apricot,   Zizyphus
jujuba;  Epilogue;
References; Appendix I - Glossary;  Appendix II - Nutritive value of
some important hill fruits;  Appendix III - Summary table of
important characteristics of wild fruits: Index.

Price: US$20 (inclusive of forwarding
by Registered Air Mail).

For getting a copy, send US$20 personal check
(NO DOLLAR BILLS
PLEASE) favouring Dr. Chiranjit Parmar to him at
the following address:

                

Dr. Chiranjit Parmar
                186/3 Jail Road
                Mandi  HP  175 001
                INDIA.