Prunus napaulensis (Ser.) Steud., colloquially known as Jungali aaru in Nepali, represents an underutilized wild fruit tree species with a distribution spanning from Nepal’s temperate eastern to western regions. This study assessed the ecology, ethnobotany, and potential optimized uses of P. napaulensis in Nepal, which are beneficial for conserving its genetic resources. We conducted a systematic field survey to gather ethnobotanical and ecological data, directly involving 106 respondents through snowball sampling methods across eight districts, comprising two districts in the eastern, three in the central, and three in the western regions of Nepal. We found P. napaulensis to thrive within the altitudinal range of 1500–3100 m in temperate Nepal. Notably, this species serves seven different purposes in Nepal, with the highest usage being in fuelwood (FL = 89.62%) followed by fruits (FL = 76.42%). Furthermore, this species is used to prepare 18 economically valuable food products in China and India. Despite its evident potential for economic utility, this species remains underutilized within Nepal, rendering it moderately vulnerable to access through rapid vulnerability assessment methods. Consequently, our study supports for the sustainable utilization of this species to ensure the conservation of its genetic resources and enable local communities to harness its economic benefits effectively.

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