Some minor fruits of rosaceae: Distribution, diversity and use in Indian Himalayas

The Himalayan region is endowed with rich genetic diversity in temperate fruits. Several species of family Rosaceae are available locally. Many of them are also cultivated or found as semi-domesticated types in the areas of their distribution. In some genera like Prunus, Pyrus, Rubus, Fragaria and Malus a large number of wild species have not only contributed towards food but also are a rich wild gene pool for important traits. With drastic increase in the world population, there is a great need to explore newer sources of food and in this context, the diversity available in minorllesser known fruits of the family Rosaceae, available in this region along with a brief description of chief types among them has been discussed. A check-list of species with botanical names, popular names/common names is included as Appendix. This information will be useful in screening for newer sources of food in this region both for present and future needs.