Ethnobotanical Study of Ritual Plants in Telangana Festivals

Ritual plants are integral to the cultural and spiritual traditions of Telangana, India, where festivals blend traditional knowledge, seasonal rhythms, and sacred beliefs. This ethnobotanical study documents ritual flora used in major festivals—Bathukamma, Bonalu, Sammakka‐Saralamma Jatara, Nagula Chavithi, Sankranti, and Vinayaka Chavithi— highlighting their cultural roles and conservation needs. Fieldwork conducted from October 2023 to March 2025 across eight districts involved 146 informants, festival observations, and market surveys. A total of 83 species belonging to 76 genera and 36 families were recorded. Herbs dominated (46.99%), followed by trees (25.30%), shrubs (16.87%), and climbers (10.84%). The most represented families were Fabaceae (12.05%), Lamiaceae (8.43%), Asteraceae (7.23%), and Solanaceae (7.23%). Key culturally important species included Curcuma longa (UV: 0.87, CI: 0.76), Ocimum sanctum (UV: 0.81, CI: 0.72), Cassia fistula (UV: 0.66, CI: 0.64), Azadirachta indica (UV: 0.61, CI: 0.60), and Phyllanthus emblica (UV: 0.55, CI: 0.53). Conservation assessment based on the 2024 IUCN Red List revealed 8 species threatened by overharvesting, habitat loss, and market pressures. The study underscores women’s role in safeguarding ritual plant knowledge and advocates community-led conservation, educational integration, and alignment with UNESCO, CBD and SDG goals (11&15) to protect biodiversity and biocultural heritage.