Ethnobotanical review of wild edible plants in Spain

This paper compiles and evaluates the ethnobotanical data currently available on wild plants traditionally used for human consumption in Spain. Forty-six ethnobotanical and ethnographical sources from Spain were reviewed, together with some original unpublished field data from several Spanish provinces. A total of 419 plant species belonging to 67 families was recorded. A list of species, plant parts used, localization and method of consumption, and harvesting time is presented. Of the seven different food categories considered, green vegetables were the largest group, followed by plants used to prepare beverages, wild fruits, and plants used for seasoning, sweets, preservatives, and other uses. Important species according to the number of reports include: Foeniculum vulgare , Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum , Origanum vulgare , Rubus ulmifolius , Silene vulgaris , Asparagus acutifolius , and Scolymus hispanicus . We studied data on the botanical families to which the plants in the different categories belonged, overlapping between groups and distribution of uses of the different species. Many wild food plants have also been used for medicinal purposes and some are considered to be poisonous. This review highlights the rich traditional knowledge on edible plants that has remained in rural Spain. Until recently, many wild plants were used as dietary supplements. However, most of this knowledge survives only in the memory of the elderly, and will probably disappear in a few decades.  © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 152 , 27–71.     

Quantitative ethnobotany of two east Timorese cultures

This is the first time aspects of the ethnobotany of East Timor have been reported. The medicinal plant traditions of two distinct East Timorese cultures, the Laklei and Idate, were studied and compared using quantitative ethnobotanical methods. A total of 86 medicinal plant species were identified. The medicinal plant traditions of the Laklei and Idate cultures were compared using Trotter and Logan’s (1986) quantitative “informant agreement ratio.” On average, informant consensus was greater in Laklei, suggesting a medicinal plant tradition that is more defined than in Idate, where informants are more likely to use the same medicinal plants when treating the same usage categories. Furthermore, only 11 of the 86 medicinal plant species documented were used by both cultures, of which only six had similar mentions. These findings have important implications for the understanding of ethnobotany as they demonstrate how relatively closely situated cultural groups can have significantly different traditional knowledge systems.     

Wild gathered food plants in the European mediterranean: A comparative analysis

The Mediterranean basin has a long and multifaceted cultural history and harbors a high biodiversity. Epidemiological studies have drawn attention to certain traditional Mediterranean diets. However, wild gathered food species, which are an important, but fast disappearing element of these diets, so far have been largely neglected in scientific studies. In this study we compare ethnobotanical data obtained from field studies conducted in Southern Italy, Southern Spain, mainland Greece, and Crete resulting in the identification of a core group of 18 culinary used wild gathered plant species. This group comprises species likePapaver rhoeas L.,Sonchus asper L.,S. oleraceus L., andSilene vulgaris L. We argue that the culinary use of wild gathered weedy greens evolved together with the neolithization process, since this offered the necessary ecological niches for them to thrive, thereby enriching and securing the diets of European agriculturalists. Especially wild gathered Asteraceae species seem to form a sort of proto-nutraceutical, which accounts for a significant input of biologically active compounds in the diet.     

西双版纳傣族村寨对湿地植物的传统利用

作者用半结构访谈与关键人物访谈相结合,并佐以证据标本采集的民族植物学研究方法,对云南省西双版纳3个自然环境和经济社会条件差异较大的典型傣族村寨(曼降,曼安,曼伞)居民的湿地植物知识,以及不同性别、年龄人群掌握湿地植物知识的差异作了统计分析。研究结果表明:(1)西双版纳傣族村寨利用的湿地植物种类丰富,经鉴定的有46科102种,以湿生植物为主;利用类型有食用类、药用、代茶类和宗教类等,以食用类为主。(2)三个村寨中以曼伞调查和采集到的植物种类最多,曼安次之,曼降最低。3个村寨利用的湿地植物种类的相似性低。这与村寨周围的自然植被类型及其干扰程度密切相关。(3)统计分析显示,村寨的自然环境与经济发展状况对该村村民传统湿地知识的掌握有重要的影响。食用和药用、代茶植物知识在3个村寨都表现为年长组(>45岁)明显高于年轻组(≤45岁,P<0.05),而男性和女性对不同知识的掌握则因村寨自然环境和经济发展状况的不同而各不相同。植物多样性和民族传统文化多样性的关系显示出传统知识的传承对植物多样性保护是十分重要的。     

Wild plants eaten in childhood: a retrospective of Estonia in the 1970s–1990s

In this ethnobotanical study, the authors provide the first quantitative analysis of the use of wild edible plants in Estonia, describing the domains and assessing the food importance of different species. The information was collected using free‐listing written questionnaires and concerned plants used by the respondents in their childhood. As part of a major study, this article covers the responses of professionals with some botanical education at vocational or university level, to ensure the greatest possible reliability without using voucher specimens. Fifty‐eight respondents provided information on the use of 137 plant taxa, corresponding to approximately 6% of the native and naturalized vascular plants of Estonia. According to use frequency, the most typical wild food plant of Estonia is a fruit, eaten raw as a snack. The results clearly signal that the majority of famine and food shortage plants had already been forgotten by the end of the 20^th century, but new plants have been introduced as green vegetables for making salads. Despite changes in the nomenclature of the plants, the use of wild food plants in Estonia was still thriving at the turn of the 20^th century, covering many domains already forgotten in urbanized modern Europe. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 172 , 239–253.     

Edible wild plants of the Chorote Indians, Gran Chaco, Argentina

The Chorote Indians are hunter-gatherers and fishermen from north-west Argentina and south-west Paraguay who belong to the Mataco-Maká linguistic family. Their edible plants are identified by botanical and vernacular names, the parts employed and modes of preparation and consumption. The Chorote people use 57 plant species as a source of food, which they consume in 118 different ways. Five new edible species, that yield seven plant foods, are reported here for the first time for Chaquenian ethnic groups. However, only a few wild plant foods are in frequent use today, with most being used occasionally, infrequently or not at all. A cross-cultural comparison with four neighbouring ethnic groups reveals that one third of their plant foods are exclusive to the Chorote people, despite the fact that they share most of their edible plants with the other groups. This article is the first contribution to an understanding of the Chorote's ethnobotany and to a comparison of interethnic relationships concerning their edible plant resources.  © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 153 , 73–85.     

The doctrine of signatures in present-day Israel

Some evidence of the existence of an ancient pharmacological theory—the Doctrine of Signatures—has been found in the folk medicine of Israel. The research reported 14 plants with folk medicinal uses based on the Doctrine of Signatures categories including: similarity of the plant or plant organ to the damaged human organ (Alhagi maurorum, camel thorn;Astragalus macrocarpus, milk-vetch; andCynoglossum creticum, blue hound’s tongue), similarity to animal shape or behavior (Heliotropium europaeum, European turnsole;Asteriscus spinosus, starwort; andBriza maxima, large quaking grass), similarity of plant color to the color of the disease’s symptoms or the medical phenomena (Rhamnus alaternus, Italian buckthorn;Citrullus colocynthis, bitter gourd; andEcballium elaterium, squirting cucumber), and similarity of plant habitat or characteristic to human features (Parietaria judaica, wall pellitory; andRuta chalepensis, African rue).     

Medicinal Plants in the Atlantic Forest (Brazil): Knowledge, Use, and Conservation

This study focuses on knowledge of medicinal plants among the Caiçaras (rural inhabitants of the Atlantic Forest coast, Brazil). In particular, we examine the use of medicinal plants according to sex and age to reveal general patterns of Caiçara knowledge and use of plant resources. Data collected through 449 interviews at 12 Caiçara communities (Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo coastal sites) include citations of 249 plants and identification of 227 species. We show the importance of introduced as opposed to native plants and of key individuals for the conservation of the Caiçaras-Atlantic Forest.