Bottle gourd [Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standley] is an edible, medicinal, and otherwise utilitarian domesticated cucurbit with an ancient pantropical distribution. This African native reached Asia and the Americas 9000 years ago, probably as a wild species whose fruits had floated across the seas. Independent domestications from wild populations are believed to have occurred in both the Old and New Worlds. However, few wild populations of L. siceraria have been found during recorded history and none has been verified or studied in detail. In 1992, Mary Wilkins-Ellert discovered an unusual free-living plant of Lagenaria in a remote region of southeastern Zimbabwe. Her morphological observations during several plantings of the collected seed, as well as results from two genetic analyses (random amplified polymorphic DNA and chloroplast sequencing), indicate that the Zimbabwe collection is part of a genetically distinct and wild lineage of L. siceraria.

The results of this study confirm the presence of both guanabana and cherimoya in ancient Peru. Our evidence consists of linguistic data and botanical remains of plants that were found in archaeological contexts, as well as ceramic phytomorphic representations of the fruits.

The authors located and experimentally reproduced an alcoholic beverage using Schinus molle L. drupes to explain the presence of large quantities of S. molle seeds in archaeological contexts associated with the Middle Horizon (550–1000 C.E.) site of Cerro Baúl, Moquegua, Perú. They discuss the production of chicha de molle in the context of the archaeological site, the ecology of the plant, and the ethnobotany associated with S. molle in the Andes. Overall, S. molle was and is used today in a variety of ways regionally, and through both ethnobotanical and archaeological fieldwork, they establish a long-standing tradition of human-plant interactions with S. molle.

Ditaxis heterantha Zucc. (azafrán de bolita), a plant of the Euphorbiaceae family, grows wild in the semiarid regions of Mexico. Its seeds are used by the inhabitants of the regions where it grows to give color and to enhance the flavor of food. It has been recently cultivated locally, however, the plant has not been cultivated extensively, and it is considered that this crop could have an economic potential. The purpose of this work is to validate the reported geographical distribution of the plant and its chemical composition. The endosperm of the seeds has an intense yellow color, indicating the presence of pigments of the carotenoid family. The pigment was extracted using hexane, and seven fractions were obtained by HPLC. The spectra of the fractions produce three maxima, λ_max, characteristic of carotenoids. Chemical composition of the seed showed average oil content of 39.4% and 18.8% of protein. The oil and protein content are similar to that of cottonseed and sunflower seed, respectively. Its composition allows the seed to be used as a source of natural pigment, vegetable oil, and protein. The seed has a competitive price and a promising profit margin in local markets, and its cultivation requires little care, growing especially well under limited water conditions.

This work presents bromatological analyses performed on seeds and fruits of Sabal mexicana Mart.; a comparison with data existent of other palms and some phytochemical data are presented. A discussion of the possible importance of some results obtained and the potential use of this palm is presented.

Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex A. Juss.) Müll. Arg., whose center of diversity is the Amazon basin, is the major source of commercial rubber in the world. In the 1970s, the need for new Hevea germplasm arose from the realization that there was a gradual erosion of the genetic variability of the rubber clones in many natural rubber plantations. This erosion occurred because most of the clones in cultivation were derived from the few surviving seeds collected in 1876 by Henry Wickham. Therefore, to broaden the genetic base of the major producers of natural rubber, it became necessary to undertake an expedition to the Amazon basin to obtain materials for the ‘gene pool’ in these populations. This expedition, called “Germplasm 81,” was organized in four stages. Initially, there was a 1976 seminar organized by the International Rubber Research and Development Board (IRRDB); then, in 1977, a Hevea workshop took place, also organized by the IRRDB. A preliminary mission by IRRDB officials to several countries in South America and the Caribbean followed in 1978. Finally, the Germplasm exercise by scientists from IRRDB countries (Cote d'Ivoire, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Thailand), China, and Brazil took place from January to April of 1981. A ‘dummy run’ to test the viability of seeds from Manaus, Brazil, was undertaken in 1979. The Germplasm collection covered three Brazilian states: Acre, Mato Grosso, and Rondônia. Collection teams traveled into the remotest parts of the Amazon rain forests looking for high-yielding and disease-resistant trees from which to collect seeds, budwood, and seedlings growing around the trees. Three teams collected a total of 64,256 seeds, 1413 meters of budwood, and 1160 seedlings. Following agreements with the Brazilian government, collected seeds were divided on a 50–50 basis between IRRDB and Brazil. Materials for Brazil were retained in Manaus, while those for the IRRDB were initially sent to Britain for phytosanitary treatment and then to Guadeloupe for further quarantine in 1982, before being sent to Asian and African reception centers. Scientists who participated in the exercise had to undergo quarantine in a temperate country for at least one week before returning to their research institutions. This quarantine was an attempt to avoid the spread of the deadly South American leaf blight (SALB) disease. This disease has prevented Brazil from becoming a major world producer of natural rubber, despite attempts made by Goodyear and Firestone Rubber Companies, as well as Henry Ford in the early 1900s.

The U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) maintains over 40 000 sorghum accessions, which is too large to adequately screen at one time. The objectives of this research were to establish an initial core collection and use clustering techniques to refine one sub-set of that core. Because much of the total sorghum collection lacks complete descriptor or other usable data, the collection was broken out into its respective country of origin and random selection of 10% of the accessions from each country was used to develop the core. Based on these criteria, a core collection of 3011 accessions representing 77 different countries was developed. A more complete phenotypic dataset representing the Sudan allowed for the development of a refined subset of the core collection from this country. The core from Sudan is made up of 352 accessions that represent 13.8% of the total Sudan collection. This core was then evaluated for imbibitional high temperature sensitivity, leaf high temperature sensitivity, and acquired thermotolerance. The results show that these assay systems evaluate distinct aspects of the sorghums' metabolism and that each assay provides unique information about the relative heat tolerance of the sorghum. The impact of the sorghum core collection at this time is unknown. Theoretically, the core should provide a road map from which scientists can map genetic diversity of sorghum and further enhance the capabilities to isolate and clone genes of importance in the future.

Darnel (Lolium temulentum L.) is a mimic weed associated with wheat and barley cultivation. Mimic weeds have evolved along with cultivated crops. Human impact on the genetic diversity of agricultural weeds was elucidated using darnel as a model. Three strains in each field in Gaitza village, Malo region, Ethiopia were randomly sampled, and the genetic composition of 120 samples was analyzed using RAPD analysis. Genetic diversity and distances were calculated using Nei's analysis, and cluster analysis was performed. These results indicated the occurrence of seed migration among the fields and a high genetic diversity of darnel in this region. Crop seed exchange and contamination of crop seeds with darnel seeds lead to the unintended artificial gene flow of darnel. Because darnel seeds and seedlings resemble their associated crop seeds and seedlings, traditional methods of crop cultivation have the unintended consequence of conserving the genetic diversity of darnel.

This paper reports on the most important non-timber forest products (NTFPs) marketed and used during the dry season in Cinzana, near Ségou, Mali. Data was gathered from villagers through market surveys and interviews with vendors, buyers, and key informants in traditional medicine. In the Sudano-sahelian agricultural region, NTFPs are collected from parklands, comprising of fallows and croplands. Of the 20 species, five were used in handicraft production, 11 yielded human foods, and 11 had medicinal uses. In addition, many tree species have multipurpose value: six of the 20 species were recorded to be food producers in addition to having uses for handicraft production and/or medicine. The contribution of herbaceous species to the NTFPs used and harvested during the dry season is negligible. Only one of the species was non-ligneous, indicating the large significance of tree species for local communities in a region with long seasonal dry periods.

Samples of dried shea fruit pulp were collected from tree populations in Mali, Burkina Faso, northern Cameroon, and Uganda. A variety of analytical methods was used to measure total soluble solids (TSS), crude protein, and mineral contents. The results demonstrate that shea fruits are a rich source of sugars, protein, calcium, and potassium during the “hungry season”, when food stores run low and the energy-intensive work of preparing land for planting must be done. A companion survey of indigenous shea tree and fruit classification was carried out in study area villages. Indigenous savanna inhabitants, especially men, emphasize the importance of fruit pulp taste, while women emphasize the butter content of the nuts. Shea fruits have greater importance to the inhabitants of the drier savannas such as the Sahel, where shea fruits have been shown to have higher nutritional values. While there is currently much international interest in developing the potential of shea butter production in Africa, the role of the fruit pulp in the local diet needs to be taken into consideration in development programs.

Presented here is an examination of the technological process whereby the stem pith of Metroxylon sagu Rottboell is transformed into edible starch by the Nuaulu people of south central Seram, Maluku, Indonesia. The analysis seeks to describe the underlying local knowledge and practices involved, with a view to refuting the assertion that sago extraction is an intuitively and technically simple solution to food provision for those reluctant to adopt ‘proper’ agriculture. In the light of this demonstration, I reconsider how palm starch dependency works as an adaptive strategy.

The edible wild plants are greatly valued throughout the Himalayan region and serve as an important source of food for indigenous communities. This paper describes the botanical richness, elevational distribution and dietary use of the edible wild plant resources from the Sikkim Himalaya (Eastern Himalaya), many with promising potential. A total of 190 wild plant species have been screened from the Sikkim Himalaya, this derived from 143 genera and 78 families and accounting for nearly 15% of total edible wild plants resources of India. Of the total, 65% were edible for their fruits, 22% for leaves/shoots, 7% for flowers and 3% for roots/ rhizomes. Nearly 91 wild edible species were recorded from low-hills, 70 from mid-hills and 28 species from high-hill areas. Within Sikkim state, the North and East districts represent maximum diversity of edible wild plants due to the wilderness and inaccessibility to most of the habitats. An average rural family annually consumes nearly 8 types of edible wild plants, and a few species provide over five meals in a season. Selected plants also form a source of earning to a few families that sell them in local markets. It is suggested that the high diversity of edible plants needs to be conserved for future use. Some species may be grown in traditional agroforestry systems and on marginal lands of otherwise low agricultural value. Such measures may help protect wild plant resources in their natural habitats.

The micromorphological features of the vegetative and reproductive structures of ten mulberry cultivars grown at the Specialized Sericultural Section of the Agricultural Zoology Experimental Institute of Padua, northeastern Italy, were examined by SEM in order to determine the charactetistics that were the most valuable taxonomically. The observed specimens (leaves, flowers, seeds, and pollen grains) showed micromorphological differences regarding leaf hairiness, quantity of waxes, quality of epidermis cuticle and tepal hairiness. The effects of differing environments in altering the floral sex ratios of this basically monoecious group of plants were also investigated. However, no significant differences between the micromorphology of the seeds and the pollen grains of these selected cultivars were detected. The authors are hopeful that the information gained in this study may prove useful in the future creation of an exhaustive and final catalogue “descriptor” of cultivated varieties belonging to the genus Morus L.

Huckleberries are major components of the understory vegetation in coniferous Pacific Northwest forests of the United States. Vaccinium species also have a long history of human use. However, little research has been done to ascertain how they respond to common forest management practices. We used data obtained from old-growth, young thinned, and young unthinned Douglas-fir stands in western Oregon to evaluate how forest management could potentially influence species abundance and product supply. Our analysis focused on three species: Vaccinium ovatum, V. parvifolium, and V. membranaceum. Results were variable, but indicate that overstory stand conditions and forest management can affect huckleberry species abundance. However, to assess fully the effects of forest management on these species, studies specifically designed to target areas where people harvest these products are needed. Measuring relevant product attributes such as commercial productivity is also critical.

The study is based on anatomical and morphological investigations of Empetrum nigrum L. subsp. hermaphroditum (Hagerup) Bocher, an important plant because of its value for medicine and food. Plant samples were collected from the northeastern part of Turkey. Morphological and anatomical features of various plant parts (e.g., stem, leaf, flower, and fruit) are illustrated and described in detail.

In this study, 121 wild edible plants used as food in Anatolia were surveyed to determine the plant parts used and their detailed preparation methods. The results of this study show that the plants may be boiled, fried in fat, and eaten raw or as rolled vegetables. They may also be consumed as pickles, fruits, sweets and spices, and drunk as cold and hot drinks. Thirty species (8 genera) were identified as belonging to the Lamiaceae family, 15 species (15 genera) belong to the Asteraceae family, 13 species (5 genera) belong to the Rosaceae family, 8 species (7 genera) belong to the Brassicaceae family, 6 species (3 genera) belong to the Orchidaceae family and 5 species (5 genera) belong to the Apiaceae family. The genera represented by the highest number of species in the study are as follows: Sideritis L. is represented by 13 species, Origanum L. by 7 species, Rubus L. by 5 species, Thymus L. by 4 species and Rumex L. by 4 species.

An ethnobotanical survey was made of the villages of the Ilıca District, Erzurum Province, Turkey. The authors interviewed 130 people in 60 villages. The information so obtained was classified according to the use of plants for food, fuel, dye, and construction materials, as well as for miscellaneous uses. All in all, this study revealed 60 plant taxa that were useful to the villagers of this district.

This paper presents a list of some medicinal plants distributed in the East Anatolia region. The list was prepared during an ethnobotanical survey of the region from 1995 to 2002. East Anatolia has a rich flora due to its variable climate and its many ecological zones. This diversity in flora provides a rich source of medicinal plants that has been long utilized by Anatolian cultures; and hence, accounts for the remarkable accumulation of medicinal folk knowledge for the region. This paper provides information about 71 useful plants grown in the region, 20 of which are reported for the first time. In addition to the scientific names, vernacular names and medicinal uses are given for each plant.

Dietary, therapeutical, and other ethnobotanical uses of the wild plants grown in the Beypazarı, Ayaş, and Güdül district towns of Ankara were investigated. Information was collected by oral interviews, with 400 individuals participating in 25 selected sites. The demographic characteristics of the informants were cross-linked with the recorded plant data for purposes of statistical analysis by SPSS software. The results indicated that 82% of the informants recognized the use of wild plants for food and home remedies. Both the breadth and scope of knowledge on the use of wild plants increased significantly with the advancing age of the informants, but there was no significant correlation between the knowledge of the informants and their educational status. Altogether, the authors recorded 192 uses for wild plants in the surveyed area; these emanating from 85 plant species belonging to 31 plant families. Among the most popular uses for wild plants were for medicines (115 citations) or food (70 citations). Only 7 plants fell in the miscellaneous category.

The essential oil properties of spearmint (Mentha spicata L.), one of the most important spice plants, were studied and the essential oil components determined using gas chromatography. The essential oil content of wild-grown spearmint in the region was found to range from 1.00% to 2.00%, and two chemotypes were identified, one high in carvone (49.53–80.65%) and the other in pulegone (44.9–49.23%). Agronomic and essential oil properties of cultivated landraces of M. spicata were also investigated under field conditions during the 1999 vegetation period. The examined spearmint landraces showed a great variability for each character studied, including yield and essential oil components. The crop was harvested twice during the vegetation period, and the essential oil content of the landraces varied from 0.90 to 2.70% in the first harvest and from 1.00 to 3.00% in the second one. Carvone was constantly present as the predominant essential oil in landraces, except for one sample, which was high in linalool (82.80%). Superior landraces with carvone contents were discovered; their maximum content reached 79.70% in the first cutting and 82.97% at the second cutting. The superior landraces were assayed for future improvement studies.