Diversity and ethnobotany of Pteridophytes in Cooch Behar district, West Bengal, India

The present study was carried out from January 2021 to December 2023 to document the pteridophyte flora and traditional use information from ethnic communities of the Cooch Behar district of West Bengal, India, via semi-structured interviews. A total of 38 pteridophyte species belonging to 21 genera and 14 families were recorded. The dominant family is Pteridaceae, represented by 13 species, followed by Thelypteridaceae (5 species), Lygodiaceae (4 species), while dominant genera were Pteris and Thelypteris (5 species) followed by Lygodium (4 species). Among the documented species, 32 species had a traditional usage (as an ethnomedicine, vegetable, ornamental, green manure and fish feed). Leaves were the most commonly used plant part followed by the whole plant. The findings of this study contribute towards understanding the biodiversity and traditional knowledge of pteridophytes in Cooch Behar district and enriches the database for floristic and traditional knowledge of India.