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Historical Ethnobotany: Interpreting the Old Records—2nd Edition
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Historical Ethnobotany: Interpreting the Old Records—2nd Edition

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 December 2024 | Viewed by 9994

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Renata Sõukand

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Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, Mestre, 30172 Venice, Italy
Interests: ethnobotany; ethnobiology; ecosemiotics; biocultural diversity; Eastern Europe; post-Soviet
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Raivo Kalle

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Estonian Literary Museum, Vanemuise 42, 51003 Tartu, Estonia
Interests: ethnobiology; ethnobotany; science history; biocultural diversity; wild food plants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

History is the basis for our interpretation of humanity’s past. Indeed, new developments in digital humanities and the digitalization of archives can place historical sources in a new light. Systematized historical sources allow us to see the practical changes that occurred over centuries of ethnobotany and analyze (although sometimes solely hypothesize on) the causes of such changes. Studying history helps us to understand the influences on the evolution of local ecological knowledge regarding plant use. In ethnobotany, numerous understudied historical sources are awaiting modern interpretations. Old uses enhanced by the new possibilities offered by technology can enrich our everyday life. Yet, understanding historical sources, especially in ethnobotany, where several disciplines are involved, is not univocal. Mistakes introduced by misidentified plants or information misinterpreted from old languages can have negative, long-term consequences. This Special Issue aims to provide examples of the critical analysis of various historical sources, provide insights into ongoing historical and diachronic studies on plant use, and introduce the best practice guidelines for interpreting such data.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Critical reviews on published historical ethnobotanical sources;
  • Analysis of archival data on plant uses;
  • Methodological papers on the best practice for working with archival and historical sources in ethnobotany;
  • Interpretational papers on plant identification in historical sources without herbarium specimens;
  • Possibilities in the modern applications of historical plant use;
  • Diachronic comparison of historical plant use with the current field of ethnobotany;
  • Examples of historical influences on specific and current plant use;
  • Analysis of the potential influence of books and historical media (newspapers, magazines) and/or governmental systems on the use of plants.

This Special Issue welcomes articles on all aspects of historical ethnobotany within all potential use categories, including (but not limited to) food, medicinal, ethnoveterinary, household, building, and those related to specialization (e.g., apiculture- or fishery-related plant uses).

Dr. Renata Sõukand
Dr. Raivo Kalle
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • history of ethnobotany
  • plant identification in historical sources
  • methodology in historical ethnobotany
  • from past to present
  • diachronic comparison
  • old herbals

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 3275 KiB  
Article
Cultivating Environmental Ignorance: Non-Circulation of Ethnomedicinal Knowledge about Culén (Otholobium glandulosum) in the Atlantic World (1646–1810)
by Matteo Sartori and Julia Prakofjewa
Plants 2024, 13(20), 2861; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13202861 - 13 Oct 2024
Viewed by 587
Abstract
A growing body of literature recognises the importance of exploring the uses of plants in historical written sources. The Chilean native plant culén (Otholobium glandulosum) has a long history of medicinal use, with various parts of the plant, including its leaves, [...] Read more.
A growing body of literature recognises the importance of exploring the uses of plants in historical written sources. The Chilean native plant culén (Otholobium glandulosum) has a long history of medicinal use, with various parts of the plant, including its leaves, aerial parts, and roots, employed to treat numerous ailments. This study undertakes a Critical Discourse Analysis of historical sources, specifically books published between the 17th and early 19th centuries (1646–1810), focusing on the medicinal applications of culén. The research highlights the circulation of plant knowledge over time by adopting an interdisciplinary approach that bridges historical ethnobotany, environmental history, and the history of knowledge and ignorance studies. The study reveals how the evolution of the ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal knowledge of culén reflects the broader environmental ignorance, wherein the scientific community excluded and oppressed the indigenous and local knowledge of the plant. This work underscores the importance of integrating historical studies into modern environmental and botanical research, emphasising the value of understanding past knowledge systems to inform contemporary conservation efforts and sustainable practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Historical Ethnobotany: Interpreting the Old Records—2nd Edition)
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18 pages, 2863 KiB  
Article
Contemporary Uses of Vilca (Anadenanthera colubrina var cebil): A Major Ritual Plant in the Andes
by Verónica S. Lema
Plants 2024, 13(17), 2398; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13172398 - 27 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1753
Abstract
Vilca or cebil (Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil) is a species known for its psychoactive properties and its widespread use among the pre-Hispanic peoples who inhabited the southern Andean area (southern Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile and northwest Argentina). Studies on this species, [...] Read more.
Vilca or cebil (Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil) is a species known for its psychoactive properties and its widespread use among the pre-Hispanic peoples who inhabited the southern Andean area (southern Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile and northwest Argentina). Studies on this species, as well as on medicinal, psychoactive, or magical plants in general, tend to consider its use in post-Spanish conquest times to be scarce or irrelevant in the Andes of South America. However, based on an in-depth review of the existing literature and on ethnobotanical research conducted in markets in Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru, this paper provides an updated overview affirming the continuity of the use of this species. The results indicate a significant diversity in terms of usage types, plant parts used, treatments, and conditions in which it is applied, along with new records of vernacular names. This paper also offers an interpretation from the perspective of Andean logics, highlighting the current therapeutic effectiveness of the seeds of this plant, facilitated through a series of “movements” that aim to restore the affected person’s health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Historical Ethnobotany: Interpreting the Old Records—2nd Edition)
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23 pages, 4244 KiB  
Article
What Was George Forrest’s Plant Collection Journey like in China?
by Ke Shi, Minli Jin, Renwu Wu, Yongxi Zou, Shuai Liao, Zhoubing Xiang, Jifan Luo, Xiaoxue Zhong and Zhiyi Bao
Plants 2024, 13(10), 1367; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13101367 - 15 May 2024
Viewed by 932
Abstract
Since the 16th century, Western countries have conducted extensive plant collections in Asia, particularly in China, driven by the need to collect botanical resources and foster academic development. These activities have not only significantly enriched the Western botanical specimen collections but have also [...] Read more.
Since the 16th century, Western countries have conducted extensive plant collections in Asia, particularly in China, driven by the need to collect botanical resources and foster academic development. These activities have not only significantly enriched the Western botanical specimen collections but have also had a profound impact on the development of related disciplines such as botany, ecology, and horticulture. During this process, a large number of renowned plant hunters emerged, whose discoveries and contributions are still remembered today. George Forrest (1873–1932) was one of these distinguished plant hunters. From 1904 to 1932, he visited China seven times to collect plants and became famous for the regional distinctiveness of the species he collected. However, due to the lack of systematic collection, organization, and analysis of specimens collected by Forrest, only a few species, such as the species Rhododendron, are well-known among the many species he introduced to the West. Furthermore, the personal collecting characteristics and the characteristic species collected by Forrest are also not clear. This limits a comprehensive understanding of the specimen collection history and impact of Forrest in China. Therefore, systematic organization and analysis of Forrest’s plant specimens collected in China are crucial to understanding his impact on botanical classification, Rhododendrons introduction, global horticulture, and plant propagation. This study aims to systematically organize and analyze the plant specimens collected by George Forrest in China to investigate the family, genus, and species composition of the collected specimens and the seven collection expeditions of Forrest in China, as well as the time and altitude of these collections. Furthermore, it seeks to discuss Forrest’s scientific contributions to the global spread of plants, the widespread application of the Rhododendron, and his impact on the development of modern gardens, providing a theoretical basis and data reference for related research and professional development. To this end, we extensively consulted important historical literature related to Forrest and systematically collected data from online specimen databases. The conclusions drawn from the available data include 38,603 specimens, with 26,079 collection numbers, belonging to 233 families, 1395 genera, and 5426 species, which account for 48.24%, 32.63%, and 14.17% of the plant families, genera, and species in China, respectively. Rhododendron specimens made up 17.20% of the specimens collected in this study. The collection locations cover three provinces or autonomous regions, 11 prefecture-level cities, and 25 counties. Furthermore, we found that Forrest’s collections were concentrated in spring and summer, mainly in high-altitude areas, with 135 species found below 1500 m and 3754 species at 1500 m and above. Rhododendron specimens were mostly found above 3000 m. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Historical Ethnobotany: Interpreting the Old Records—2nd Edition)
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14 pages, 973 KiB  
Article
Brazilian Environment and Plants as Seen by Japanese Eyes Two Hundred and Twenty Years Ago
by Natalia Hanazaki
Plants 2024, 13(2), 188; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13020188 - 10 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1234
Abstract
In 2023, the Japanese migration to Brazil completed 115 years. However, the first time Japanese people arrived in Brazil and left a testimony of their experience was about two centuries ago. Their reports were registered in a historical document, handwritten during the Edo [...] Read more.
In 2023, the Japanese migration to Brazil completed 115 years. However, the first time Japanese people arrived in Brazil and left a testimony of their experience was about two centuries ago. Their reports were registered in a historical document, handwritten during the Edo period when Japan was adopting a closed-door policy. The episode of their visit to Brazil is only a small part of the odyssey of these four Japanese sailors who departed from Ishinomiya to Tokyo at the end of the 18th century, but unexpectedly traveled around the globe. After a storm, they were adrift for six months until shipwrecking on the Aleutian Islands; from the Russian Aleutian Islands, they crossed the whole of Russia and boarded, in Saint Petersburg, on the first Russian expedition to circumnavigate the world. Their only stop in South America was at Santa Catarina Island, southern Brazil, and this is the first analysis of this episode from an ethnobiological perspective. Their reports described both the forest environment and the plants they observed and included at least 23 taxa of plants, mostly cultivated. These descriptions of plants and the environment are in contrast with other reports from the same period and to the current environment found in Santa Catarina Island, inspiring reflections on the construction of Brazil’s image in Japan before the 20th century. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Historical Ethnobotany: Interpreting the Old Records—2nd Edition)
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19 pages, 2351 KiB  
Article
Traditional Knowledge Evolution over Half of a Century: Local Herbal Resources and Their Changes in the Upper Susa Valley of Northwest Italy
by Naji Sulaiman, Dauro M. Zocchi, Maria Teresa Borrello, Giulia Mattalia, Luca Antoniazzi, S. Elisabeth Berlinghof, Amber Bewick, Ivo Häfliger, Mia Schembs, Luisa Torri and Andrea Pieroni
Plants 2024, 13(1), 43; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13010043 - 22 Dec 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2218
Abstract
Susa Valley, located in the Italian Western Alps, has served as a meeting point for cultural, spiritual, and commercial exchange for a long period of history. The valley’s role as one of the main connecting routes between south and southwestern Europe resulted in [...] Read more.
Susa Valley, located in the Italian Western Alps, has served as a meeting point for cultural, spiritual, and commercial exchange for a long period of history. The valley’s role as one of the main connecting routes between south and southwestern Europe resulted in its acquisition of a rich traditional ecological knowledge. However, like other Italian mountainous valleys, this valley has suffered from abandonment and depopulation in the past 50 years. Our study aims to investigate the current ethnobotanical medicinal knowledge in the valley and to compare our findings with a study conducted over 50 years ago in the same area. In 2018, we conducted 30 in-depth semi-structured interviews on medicinal plants and food-medicines used in the Susa Valley. We documented 36 species, of which 21 species were used for medical purposes and 15 species were used as food-medicine. The comparison with the previous study on medicinal herbs conducted in 1970 in the valley demonstrated a significant decrease in both the knowledge and use of medicinal plants, which could be attributed to socioeconomic, cultural, and possibly environmental changes that occurred in the past half-century. Our study highlights several promising species for future use as nutraceuticals, food, and medicinal products, such as Taraxacum officinale, Urtica dioica, and Artemisia genipi. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Historical Ethnobotany: Interpreting the Old Records—2nd Edition)
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13 pages, 2726 KiB  
Article
Companion Plants of Tea: From Ancient to Terrace to Forest
by Huan Wu, Xiaofeng Long and Yanfei Geng
Plants 2023, 12(17), 3061; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12173061 - 25 Aug 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2245
Abstract
China is one of the origins of ancient tea gardens, with a long history of tea culture and tea cultivation. Guizhou Province is an important tea production place in southwest China with rich forest tea resources. The purpose of this study is to [...] Read more.
China is one of the origins of ancient tea gardens, with a long history of tea culture and tea cultivation. Guizhou Province is an important tea production place in southwest China with rich forest tea resources. The purpose of this study is to obtain historical information on companion plants in historical tea gardens and provide a theoretical basis for the sustainable development of forest tea gardens in Guizhou Province. We conducted a statistical analysis and comparison of plant species among ancient tea gardens, terrace tea gardens, and forest tea gardens from a diachronic perspective, based on 21 ancient tea literature studies, 116 terrace tea garden documents, and 18 sampled plots of forest tea gardens in Guizhou. A total of 24 companion plants species belonging to 16 families and 22 genera were found in ancient tea gardens, 81 species were found in terrace tea gardens belonging to 37 families and 74 genera, and 232 species were found in sample plots of forest tea gardens belonging to 90 families and 178 genera. Companion plants can be divided into three categories. Most of the plant families recorded in the literature also appeared in the forest tea garden we surveyed. In ancient tea gardens, terrace tea gardens, and forest tea gardens, Poaceae, Fabaceae, and Rosaceae were the most dominant families, respectively. The intercropping of tea gardens has been practiced since ancient times. Companion plants in natural forest tea gardens not only provide important insights into intercropping of terrace gardens but also hold significant implications for the conservation of existing forest tea gardens and the sustainable development of tea gardens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Historical Ethnobotany: Interpreting the Old Records—2nd Edition)
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