Ethnobiology Letters

Current and Future Applications of Genetic, Archaeological, and Ethnobotanical Data to Uncovering Avocado Domestication

Kevin W. Wann — 2024-09-16

The domestication of fruit trees is a topic of increasing significance in anthropological research. The avocado is a perennial fruit domesticated in Central America with a complex history of management and dispersal since the arrival of humans in the New World. Archaeological data illustrates the avocado’s domestication from wild to cultivar forms throughout the Holocene, while genetic and ethnobotanical evidence provide insights into ancient avocado cultivation patterns. It is only through the combined application of all three lines of evidence that we may fully understand the dynamic origins of this essential fruit.

Native Food Uses of Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

Michael P. Gonella — 2024-09-16

Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is used as a food by numerous North American Indigenous groups, yet also considered a poisonous plant by chemists and others. The details of traditional, Indigenous preparation methods, which render it as an edible and culturally important food choice, are reported here, along with harvesting and tending methods. The specifics of these interactions between Indigenous groups and common milkweed not only allow consumption of this “poisonous” plant, but also appear to sustain the vigor of the species, making these details important for conservation of this traditional food.

Plant Species for the Manufacture of Malagasy Traditional Alcoholic Beverages

Tabita N. Randrianarivony — 2024-07-26

Alcoholic beverages are an important component of many traditional events of Madagascar, including life-course events like male circumcision, burial and exhumation. As with many other parts of Malagasy customary practice, these beverages incorporate the unique and richly diverse flora of Madagascar. We conducted structured interviews with producers and consumers of Malagasy Traditional Alcoholic Beverages (MTABs) in 10 regions of Madagascar, spanning the island from east to west and north to south. We documented 75 plant species used to make three types of Malagasy Traditional Alcoholic Beverages: distilled toaka gasy, fermented cane wine betsa, and fermented palm wine trembo. Of the 75 species, 14 were main materials/main ingredients, 55 were additives during fermentation, and six were used as tools for distillation. The species were diverse, occurring in 35 plant families. Particularly species-rich families were Arecaceae (palm family) as main materials and Rutaceae (citrus family) as additives.

“Long hard-ſounding Latin name[s]”: Applying Historical Ethnobotany to the Loddiges Plant Nursery (1818–1830)

Ethyn Maki — 2024-07-29

Despite their potential, nursery stock catalogs have been overlooked in previous ethnobotanical studies. Here, this gap is addressed by surveying nursery-based plant knowledge cultivated within the historic British Loddiges nursery through an analysis of their stock catalogs dating from 1818 to 1830. Employing a historical ethnobotanical approach, the topics of categorization, nomenclature, and sourcing practices in the Loddiges nursery are examined while also exploring the methodological considerations of utilizing nursery stock catalogs in ethnobotanical research. Findings underscore the pragmatic nature of nursery-based plant knowledge, offering insight into the relationship between nurserymen and the plants they cultivated. This essay aims to clarify how sources such as stock catalogs can enrich historical ethnobotanical investigation and broaden the scope of ethnobotanical research to include topics such as commercial plant nurseries.

Ethnobotany of Artistic Plant Uses.

Jon Marín — 2024-09-16

Artistic uses of plants are rarely explored in ethnobotanical studies. However, in Baix Llobregat (Catalonia, NE Iberian Peninsula), seeds and other plant parts are utilized to create art expressions associated with agricultural fairs and promotion of local vegetal goods. The objective of this study is to catalog the plants used and evaluate the current vitality and importance of this cultural and social activity. The methodology employed involved semi-structured interviews and observation. We have identified two distinct types of artistic creations. A total of 65 taxa have been identified, primarily comprising locally cultivated species. The results of this research emphasize the enduring presence of ethnobotanical knowledge related to cultural uses and underscore the importance of its preservation.

Local Ecological Knowledge of the Whitemouth Croaker, Micropologias furneri among the Caiçaras in the Sepetiba Bay, SE Brazil

Claudio N. Morado — 2024-03-09

Local Ecological Knowledge of artisanal fishers (Caiçaras) was employed to investigate various biological aspects of the Whitemouth croaker (Micropogonias furnieri) in the Sepetiba Bay, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. This included migration patterns, reproduction, feeding habits, and interactions such as parasitism. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 40 fishers in two communities using the “snowball” technique. It was found that the fisher’s information coincides with the academic literature for some aspects of the biology and ecology of the species. Furthermore, the fishers provided descriptions of novel patterns, which contributed to a deeper understanding of the species' natural history. These included observations of reproduction occurring almost throughout the entire year, the influence of east and north winds on the species' entry into the bay, interactions with marine catfish (Ariidae), and notable records of the isopod Cymothoidae as an important parasite of the Whitemouth croaker. This study contributes new insights to the ecological understanding of this fish species, which holds significant socio-environmental importance. It also documents changes in the livelihoods of artisanal Caiçaras communities resulting from the increasing anthropogenic activities in the region. Finally, it highlights the species' significance in terms of its sale and consumption within these communities, owing to its relative abundance in the area, despite the environmental impacts.