Ethnobotanical Inventory of Plants Used by Mountainous Rural Communities in NW Portugal
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Results
2.1. Diversity of Utilitarian Plants
2.1.1. Use Categories
2.1.2. Plant Families, Origin and Life Form
2.1.3. Utilized Parts
2.2. Quantitative Analysis of Useful Plants: Ethnobotanical Indices
2.3. Local Medicinal Species
2.3.1. Local Therapeutic Categories
2.3.2. Mode of Preparation and Administration in Human Medicine
2.4. Association of Use Values (Ethnobotanical Indices) with Plant’s Ecological Features
3. Discussion
3.1. Biocultural Heritage—Biodiversity and Cultural Preservation
3.2. Ethnomedicine in Southern European Countries
3.3. Study Caveats
3.4. Halting Local Knowledge Erosion
4. Materials and Methods
4.1. Characterization of the Study Area and Communities
4.2. Data Collection—Ethnobotanical Survey
4.3. Botanical Identification, Ecology and Conservation Status
4.4. Quantitative Ethnobotanical Indexes
4.5. Statistic Analyses: Sampling Assessment and Ecological Effects on Ethnobotanical Information
4.6. Ethical Considerations
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Category | Nur | Nt | ICF |
---|---|---|---|
Aromatic | 7 | 4 | 0.50 |
Clothing | 12 | 8 | 0.36 |
Fuel | 59 | 13 | 0.79 |
Cosmetic/Hygiene | 12 | 5 | 0.64 |
Dye | 2 | 2 | 0.00 |
Food Animal | 30 | 13 | 0.59 |
Food Human | 31 | 15 | 0.53 |
Gastronomy | 37 | 14 | 0.64 |
Medicinal Human | 232 | 52 | 0.77 |
Medicinal Veterinary | 23 | 14 | 0.41 |
Ornamental | 8 | 5 | 0.43 |
Other | 76 | 28 | 0.64 |
Ritual | 63 | 12 | 0.82 |
Utensil | 44 | 15 | 0.67 |
NU | RFCs | CI | VN | MU | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Origin (2 categories) | χ2 = 5.79 | χ2 = 32.59 | χ2 = 44.14 | χ2 = 7.31 | χ2 = 13.61 |
p = 0.93 | p = 0.44 | p = 0.38 | p = 0.29 | p = 0.19 | |
VCramer = 0.00 | VCramer = 0.04 | VCramer = 0.09 | VCramer = 0.08 | VCramer = 0.18 | |
Life form (6 categories) | χ2 = 25.28 | χ2 = 83.22 | χ2 = 117.24 | χ2 = 8.97 | χ2 = 13.10 |
p = 0.71 | p = 0.38 | p = 0.20 | p = 0.88 | p = 0.87 | |
VCramer = 0.00 | VCramer = 0.07 | VCramer = 0.15 | VCramer = 0.00 | VCramer = 0.00 | |
Habitat (8 categories) | χ2 = 36.38 | χ2 = 110.58 | χ2 = 139.60 | χ2 = 27.71 | χ2 = 22.73 |
p = 0.72 | p = 0.52 | p = 0.66 | p = 0.15 | p = 0.83 | |
VCramer = 0.00 | VCramer = 0.00 | VCramer = 0.00 | VCramer = 0.15 | VCramer = 0.00 |
Castro Laboreiro | Serra d’Arga | Soajo | |
---|---|---|---|
Conservation interest | SAC—PTCON0001 Peneda-Gerês National Park Gerês-Xurés Biosphere Reserve | SAC—PTCON0039 | SAC—PTCON0001 Peneda-Gerês National Park Gerês-Xurés Biosphere Reserve |
Vascular flora (nb species) | 817 | 546 | 817 |
Topographical range (m) | 600–1300 | 250–800 | 200–1400 |
Demographic trend 2011–2021 § (%) | −23.4% | −23% | −32% |
Aging Index ¥ | 2079 | 1800 | 989 |
Use Category | Description |
---|---|
Human Medicinal | medicinal proprieties for humans |
Veterinary Medicinal | medicinal proprieties for livestock |
Human Food | direct human consumption |
Animal Food | livestock feeding |
Rituals | religious ceremonies and magical purposes |
Gastronomy | transformed by cultural practices for human consumption |
Cosmetics/Hygiene | body care and beauty products |
Utensils | manufacture household and agricultural utensils |
Ornamental | adornment of objects, houses and patio |
Aromatic | food flavoring and condiment |
Fuel | heating, cooking and smoking/curing food |
Dyes | textile coloring |
Clothing | manufacture of clothes |
Others | purposes not fitting any of other use category |
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Sá, A.; Mateus, T.L.; Brito, N.V.; Vieira, C.; Ribeiro, Â.M. Ethnobotanical Inventory of Plants Used by Mountainous Rural Communities in NW Portugal. Plants 2024, 13, 2824. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13192824
Sá A, Mateus TL, Brito NV, Vieira C, Ribeiro ÂM. Ethnobotanical Inventory of Plants Used by Mountainous Rural Communities in NW Portugal. Plants. 2024; 13(19):2824. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13192824
Chicago/Turabian StyleSá, Alexandre, Teresa Letra Mateus, Nuno V. Brito, Cristiana Vieira, and Ângela M. Ribeiro. 2024. "Ethnobotanical Inventory of Plants Used by Mountainous Rural Communities in NW Portugal" Plants 13, no. 19: 2824. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13192824