This document summarizes an economic botany lecture that discusses various plant species and their uses. It begins by defining economic botany and describing how people rely on plants for basic needs. It then discusses cereals and millets, including common varieties. Next, it summarizes specific plant species like rice, ragi, pulses, sugarcane, spices like pepper and cardamom, fiber crops like cotton, dye plants like henna, and resin-producing plants such as asafoetida. The document provides botanical names, family names, and descriptions of plant parts used along with each plant's various economic and traditional uses.

1. ECONOMIC BOTANY
JISHA M.S
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN BOTANY
T.K.M COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCE, KOLLAM.

2. ECONOMIC BOTANY
 A division of botany that deals with the utilization of
plants.
 Economic plants are defined as being useful either
directly, as in food, or indirectly, as products we use or
that enhance the environment.
 People depend upon plants to satisfy such basic human
needs .
 Plants provide food directly, feed livestock, plants
provide the raw materials for many types of
pharmaceuticals and others.

3. CEREALS AND MILLETS
CEREALS MILLETS
Cereals are the grasses that belong to the
Poaceae family
Term is applied to several species of
cereals which produce small grains
compared to maize.
They generally require more rainfall than
millets
Millet is a small grained annual cereal
and forage grass that is widely grown in
dry regions.
Main cereals: Barley, Maize, Oats, Rice,
Rye, wheat etc.
Main Millets are: Pearl Millet, Pros
Millet, Foxtail Millet, Jowar and Ragi

4. PADDY• Binomial- Oryza sativa
• Family-Poaceae
• Morphology of useful part-
Endosperm
Uses
 Major agricultural crop in India.
 Staple food in India and tropical asia. Although grown
mainly for food, rice starch it is also used in cosmetics,
laundering starch, and textiles.
 The grain can also be popped like popcorn to make a
breakfast cereal.
 Rice straw is used for weaving into hats,
 used for making and repairing thatched houses
 straw is used as fodder for cattles.
 Straw is used as stuffing or packaging materials.

5. RAGI• Binomial- Eleusine coracana
(finger millet)
• FAMILY-POACEAE
• MORPHOLOGY OF USEFUL
PART-ENDOSPERM
Uses
 Ragi flour is used for making cakes,
pudding, porridge etc.
 Rich in dietary fibre and calcium.
 Recommended as a wholesome food
for diabetic patients.
 it straw is used as fodder for cattles.
 Grain is used in malting and brewing.

6. PULSES OR LEGUMES
• Pulses are part of the legume family.
• Next to cereals as sources of food.
• They are rich in protein than in any other vegetable.
• The leguminous plant produces root nodules which are
inhabited by nitrogen fixing bacteria,which fix
atmospheric nitrogen,increasing soil fertility.

7. GROUND NUT
• BINOMIAL-Arachis hypogaea
• FAMILY-FABACEAE
• MORPHOLOGY OF USEFUL PART-
SEED
Uses
 The seeds are nutritious, containing 31% protein.
They also contain Ca, P and vitamin B. They are
eaten raw, fried or roasted and used in some
confectionaries.
 Ground nut is cultivated mainly for its edible oil,
which is used in cooking. The oil-cake is used as
cattle feed.

8. BLACK GRAM
• BINOMIAL- Vigna mungo
• FAMILY-FABACEAE
• MORPHOLOGY OF USEFUL PART-
SEED
Uses
 Pods are used as vegetables.
 Flour is used in making in the
preparation of idli and dosa.
 Plants are used as fodder.
 Used as a green manure.

9. SUGAR YIELDING PLANTS
• Sugar is one of the most essential commodities of everyday use.
• Serves as a reserve food for the plant. It is stored in roots, stem,
flower and fruits.

10. SUGARCANE
• BINOMIAL- Saccharum
officinarum
• FAMILY-POACEAE
• MORPHOLOGY OF USEFUL PART-
STEM
Uses
• The stem is solid and with numerous
juicy fibrous strands.
• Used as a sweetener for edible dishes,
tea,coffee and milk.

11. SPICES
• A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance
primarily used for flavoring, coloring or preserving food.
• They are aromatic vegetable products.
• Most of the important spices are grown in India.

12. PEPPER
• BINOMIAL- Piper nigrum L.
• FAMILY-PIPERACEAE
• MORPHOLOGY OF USEFUL PART-
FRUIT
Uses
 Used as both a spice and medicine
 Improving digestion.
 Used to flavour all types of dishes.
 Important ingredient of many
ayurvedic preparations.

13. CARDAMOM
 BINOMIAL-Elettaria cardamomum L.
• FAMILY-ZINGIBERACEAE
• MORPHOLOGY OF USEFUL PART-
SEEDS
Uses
 Used for flavouring cakes, biscuits, curries,
sweet dishes and drinks.
 Improving digestion.
 Important ingredient of many ayurvedic
preparations.

14. CUMIN
 BINOMIAL-Cuminum cyminum
• FAMILY-APIACEAE
• MORPHOLOGY OF USEFUL PART-
SEEDS
Uses
 It is annual herbaceous plant.The main
producers are China and India.
 It is one of the important spice item, used to
flavour many food items.
 In Kerala, a popular drink jira water is made
by boiling cumin seeds.
 Important ingredient of many ayurvedic
preparations and helps in digestion.

15. CLOVES
 BINOMIAL-Syzygium aromaticum
 FAMILY-MYRTACEAE
 MORPHOLOGY OF USEFUL PART-
DRIED FLOWER-BUD
Uses
 It is a small tree. Cloves are very aromatic and
are used in curries and medicines.
 The oil obtained from the clove is rich in
eugenol, which has high germicidal properties
which will reduce tooth ache, gum diseases
etc. It enhances digestion.

16. FIBRE-YIELDING PLANTS
• They are second only to food plants in their usefulness to
man.
• Fibres are slender, thick-walled, sclerenchymatous cells
having small lumen and tapering ends.
• Based on their uses ,fibres are divided into textile fibres,
filling fibres,brush fibres, paper-making fibres etc.

17. COTTON
• BINOMIAL- Gossypium herbaceum L.
• FAMILY-MALVACEAE
• MORPHOLOGY OF USEFUL PART-
SEED COAT FIBRES
Uses
 Mainly used for making clothes.
 Used in stuffing
pillows,cushions,upholsteries etc.
 Its seed oil is used in food and
cosmetics
 Cotton seed cake is used as a cattle
feed.

18. DYE-YIELDING PLANTS
• Natural dyes are the colouring substances produced in
plant tissues.
• Dyes are used in textile industry.
• Used to colour various products like paints, varnishes,
paper, food items, medicines etc.

19. HENNA• BINOMIAL- Lawsonia inermis
• FAMILY- LYTHRACEAE
• MORPHOLOGY OF USEFUL
PART-LEAVES
Uses
 Used in cosmetics, hair dyes,
and hair care products; and as a
dye for nails, hands, and
clothing.
 Fresh leaves may be used as an
antifungal agent, used against
bacterial skin infections.
 Promotes healthy hair.

20. RESINS
• Resins are natural organic compound consisting of a non-
crystalline or viscous liquid substance. Natural resins are
typically flammable organic substances that are
transparent and are yellowish to brown in colour. They
are formed in plant secretions and are soluble in various
organic liquids but not in water.
• They are exuded from trees. The exudation may due to
the injury to the bark.
• They are the oxidation products of essential oils.
• Resins oozes out through the bark and hardens on
exposure to air.

21. ASAFOETIDA
• BINOMIAL Ferula asafoetida
• FAMILY-APIACEAE
• MORPHOLOGY OF USEFUL PART-
RESIN OBTAINED FROM THE
ROOTS
Uses
 It is used for flavouring curries
and pickles.
 Used in ayurvedic medicines.
 It is used as a folk remedy for a
wide variety of purposes,
including carminative,
expectorant, asthma etc.

22. THANK YOU