Ethnobotany in Iturbide, Nuevo León: The Traditional Knowledge on Plants Used in the Semiarid Mountains of Northeastern Mexico (original) (raw)

Ethnobotany of the Useful Native Species in Linares, Nuevo León, México

Sustainability

In Linares, Nuevo León, Mexico, there is no record of the total number of species or the uses that people make of native plants. The purpose of this study was to know the species and their uses in the municipality of Linares, Nuevo León, Mexico. Based on 180 semi-structured interviews, collection, identification, and storage of botanical specimens, the regional ethnobotanical knowledge was assessed. The ethnobotanical information and significant use of plants in Linares was studied. To identify the cultural importance of the ethnobotanical uses of the plants, three indices were calculated: the Use Value Index (UVI), the Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), and the Fidelity Level (FL). We recorded 59 plant families, 151 genera, and 152 species. The families with the largest number of genera and species with uses registered are Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Cactaceae, Araceae, and Euphorbiaceae. The most common uses recorded are ornamental, medicinal, food, and forage. The highest values for ICF...

Ethnobotany in Rayones, Nuevo León, México

Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine, 2014

Trough collections of plants and interviews with 110 individuals, an ethnobotanical study was conducted in order to determine the knowledge and use plant species in Rayones, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The aim of this study was to record all useful plants and their uses, to know whether differences exist in the knowledge about the number of species and uses between women and men, and to know if there is a correlation between the age of individuals and knowledge of species and their uses. A total of 110 persons were interviewed (56 men, 56 women). Semistructured interviews were carried out. The data were analyzed by means of Student t test and the Pearson Correlation Coeficient. A total of 252 species, 228 genera and 91 families of vascular plants were recorded. Astraceae, Fabaceae and are the most important families with useful species and Agave and Opuntia are the genera with the highest number of useful species. One hundred and thirty six species are considered as medicinal. Agave, Acacia...

An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used in Zacatecas state, Mexico

Despite the fact that Mexico has vast biocultural biodiversity, there are numerous regions where the traditional medicinal use of plants has not yet been studied. We aimed to document, analyze quantitatively, and preserve medicinal plant knowledge among local people living in over 40 communities in the state of Zacatecas. Ethnobotanical information was collected by semistructured interviews with 132 informants. Data were analyzed using standard quantitative indices such as relative frequency of citation, family importance value, cultural importance index, and informant consensus factor. We recorded 168 medicinal plant taxa belonging to 151 genera and 69 botanical families and used to treat 99 health disorders. The most medicinally important plant families were Asteraceae (20 species), followed by Fabaceae and Lamiaceae (12 species) and Cactaceae (five species). The most culturally important species was Matricaria chamomilla L., mentioned 140 times, followed by Arnica montana L. (62 times) and Artemisia ludoviciana Nutt (48 times). The highest consensus for use was for diseases of the reproductive system. The type of disorder for which there was the highest number of references for use (389; 25% of all uses) and plant species (67) were diseases of the digestive and gastrointestinal system. The present study represents the first quantitative medical-ethnobotanical documentation and analysis of the traditional use of medicinal plants in Zacatecas state. Despite the semiarid climate, this region is botanically highly diverse, and its flora have versatile medicinal uses.

Is it the plants we know that we use? Unraveling the determining factors of ethnobotanical knowledge in a rural community in Central Mexico

Ethnobiology and Conservation

The knowledge and use of plant resources are constantly evolving. In this work, the socio-cultural and economic factors that influence the ethnobotanical knowledge of a mestizo community in Mexico were analyzed, and the correspondence of two cultural indices (use value vs. practical value) was determined to identify the magnitude of the significance and utility of each of the ethnofloristic resources. The study was carried out through semi-structured interviews with 44 local informants. Free lists were applied, and the indexes of use value and practical value were used to document the most culturally important plants. With an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), the differences in botanical knowledge between genera and the effect of socioeconomic covariates on it were evaluated. 223 species were recorded in 54 botanical families and 86 genera, of which 48% were herbs and just over 60% of the total were recorded in homegardens. The Asteraceae family had the highest number of useful speci...

Ethnobotany in the Cumbres de Monterrey National Park, Nuevo León, México

Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2007

An ethnobotanical study in the Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (CMNP), Nuevo Leon, Mexico was conducted. In spite of the large area (1,773.7 km2), heterogeneous physiography, contrasting plant communities and high species diversity of the CMNP, very little was previously known about its useful plants. Based on 95 interviews with inhabitants of the region who were 35 years or older, we recorded ethnobotanical data of 240 species (comprising 170 genera and 69 botanical families), and 146 different uses. Most of the cited uses (98) were found to be medicinal ones. Background An ethnobotanical study in the Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (CMNP), Nuevo Leon, Mexico was conducted. In spite of the large area (1,773.7 km2), heterogeneous physiography, contrasting plant communities and high species diversity of the CMNP, very little was previously known about its useful plants. Based on 95 interviews with inhabitants of the region who were 35 years old or older, we recorded ethnobotanical data of 240 species (comprising 170 genera and 69 botanical families), and 146 different uses. Most of the cited uses (98) were found to be medicinal ones. Methods Ninety five inhabitants 35 years old and oldest were interviewed to know what are the main plant uses in the Cumbres de Monterrey National Park. Results and discussion Two hundred and forty species, 170 genera, and 69 families of useful plants and 146 different uses were recorded. We found most of the uses to be medicinal (98), while the rest (48) represent various purposes. Herbaceous plants are the most used, followed by shrubs and trees.

Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Plants Used in the Zacatecas State , Mexico

2017

The medicinal plants used by the population in Mexico have an important role in the local health care system. Despite the use of wide plant diversity, contributing to the socioecological resilience and cultural diversity of each community, there are still regions without plant uses documented. The aim of this study was to record, analyse and identify the medicinal plant knowledge of the local people in the state of Zacatecas, Mexico. A total of 132 semi-structured interviews were performed. The age of the informants were between 20–86 years and the gender proportion was 44 % male and 56 % female. The Medicinal plants were identified taxonomically, and data were analysed and compared using Relative frequency of citation (RFC), Family importance value (FIV), Cultural importance index (CI), and Informant consensus Factor (ICF). The results showed that 96% of the respondents actively use plants. A total of 168 medicinal species belonging to 151 genera and 69 botanical families were docu...

Ethnobotany of medicinal flora in two communities of the Mixteca Alta in Oaxaca, Mexico

Botanical Sciences

Background: Hot-cold conception is important for plant-disease relationships in peasant communities, where introduced species acquire medicinal uses and are more available in anthropocentric systems than native; how these are selected is studied with indices, hypotheses that contribute to theories are rarely tested. Hypotheses: There will be more medicinal introduced species that will have more versatility than native ones; home-gardens will have more availability of them than the forest. Study site and dates: San Pedro Topiltepec (SPT), San Andrés Nuxiño (SAN), Oaxaca, September 2015-March 2017. Methods: Medicinal flora and its uses were inventoried by community, recording availability (socioecological system) and status (native/introduced) by species. Informant consensus factor and relative value estimated information similarity among informants; use value (UV) indicated species versatility. Hot-cold conditions were recorded by species and disease. Results: Species and diseases we...

Traditional Knowledge and Useful Plant Richness in the Tehuacán–Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico

Economic Botany, 2009

Traditional Knowledge and Useful Plant Richness in the Tehuacán–Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico. This study systematizes ethnobotanical information about the interactions between people and plants, ethnofloristic richness, the relative importance of useful species richness in relation to general species richness, and plant management in the Tehuacán–Cuicatlán Valley of central Mexico. The study recorded a total of 1,605 useful vascular plant species (61.2% of the total species richness of the regional vascular flora), this being the region with the highest absolute richness of useful plant species in Mexico. The null hypothesis that plant families with a higher number of useful species would be those having a higher general species richness was analyzed through residuals method. The plant families richest in useful species were Poaceae, Asteraceae, Cactaceae, Cyperaceae, Mimosaceae, and Solanaceae, most of which also have the highest general floristic richness. However, analyses of use categories did not generally corroborate our hypothesis. About 1,335 of the useful species are wild, more than 500 species are submitted to some type of management (62 species are tolerated, 34 protected, 50 enhanced, and 358 cultivated), but only a few have been studied to document their process of domestication. This information can be useful for developing regional strategies of sustainable management of plant resources. Conocimiento tradicional y riqueza de plantas útiles en el Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán, México. Este trabajo sistematiza información etnobotánica sobre las interacciones entre la gente y las plantas, la riqueza etnoflorística, la importancia relativa de las especies útiles con respecto a la riqueza florística general, y sobre el manejo de plantas en el Valle de Tehuacán–Cuicatlán, en el centro de México. Se registró un total de 1,605 especies de plantas vasculares útiles (61.2% de la riqueza total de la flora vascular de la región), lo que identifica a la región como la de mayor riqueza de plantas útiles de México en términos absolutos. Mediante el método de residuales se analizó la hipótesis nula de que las familias con mayor número de especies útiles serían las de mayor riqueza florística. Se encontró que las familias con mayor número de especies útiles fueron Poaceae, Asteraceae, Cactaceae, Cyperaceae, Mimosaceae, y Solanaceae, las cuales en su mayoría son las de mayor riqueza florística en la región. No obstante, al efectuar el análisis por categorías de uso no siempre se confirmó nuestra hipótesis. Casi 1,335 de las plantas útiles son silvestres, pero alrededor de 500 están sometidas a algún tipo de manejo (62 especies son toleradas, 34 protegidas, 50 fomentadas y 358 cultivadas), pero sólo para algunas de ellas se ha estudiado cómo operan los proceso de domesticación. La información generada en el trabajo puede ser útil para el desarrollo de estrategias regionales de manejo sustentable de los recursos vegetales.

Traditional Knowledge and Useful Plant Richness in the Tehuacán–Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico 1

Traditional Knowledge and Useful Plant Richness in the Tehuacán–Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico. This study systematizes ethnobotanical information about the interactions between people and plants, ethnofloristic richness, the relative importance of useful species richness in relation to general species richness, and plant management in the Tehuacán–Cuicatlán Valley of central Mexico. The study recorded a total of 1,605 useful vascular plant species (61.2% of the total species richness of the regional vascular flora), this being the region with the highest absolute richness of useful plant species in Mexico. The null hypothesis that plant families with a higher number of useful species would be those having a higher general species richness was analyzed through residuals method. The plant families richest in useful species were Poaceae, Asteraceae, Cactaceae, Cyperaceae, Mimosaceae, and Solanaceae, most of which also have the highest general floristic richness. However, analyses of use categories did not generally corroborate our hypothesis. About 1,335 of the useful species are wild, more than 500 species are submitted to some type of management (62 species are tolerated, 34 protected, 50 enhanced, and 358 cultivated), but only a few have been studied to document their process of domestication. This information can be useful for developing regional strategies of sustainable management of plant resources. Conocimiento tradicional y riqueza de plantas útiles en el Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán, México. Este trabajo sistematiza información etnobotánica sobre las interacciones entre la gente y las plantas, la riqueza etnoflorística, la importancia relativa de las especies útiles con respecto a la riqueza florística general, y sobre el manejo de plantas en el Valle de Tehuacán–Cuicatlán, en el centro de México. Se registró un total de 1,605 especies de plantas vasculares útiles (61.2% de la riqueza total de la flora vascular de la región), lo que identifica a la región como la de mayor riqueza de plantas útiles de México en términos absolutos. Mediante el método de residuales se analizó la hipótesis nula de que las familias con mayor número de especies útiles serían las de mayor riqueza florística. Se encontró que las familias con mayor número de especies útiles fueron Poaceae, Asteraceae, Cactaceae, Cyperaceae, Mimosaceae, y Solanaceae, las cuales en su mayoría son las de mayor riqueza florística en la región. No obstante, al efectuar el análisis por categorías de uso no siempre se confirmó nuestra hipótesis. Casi 1,335 de las plantas útiles son silvestres, pero alrededor de 500 están sometidas a algún tipo de manejo (62 especies son toleradas, 34 protegidas, 50 fomentadas y 358 cultivadas), pero sólo para algunas de ellas se ha estudiado cómo operan los proceso de domesticación. La información generada en el trabajo puede ser útil para el desarrollo de estrategias regionales de manejo sustentable de los recursos vegetales.

Traditional use of the flora in the "el chile" the Pomoca Ejido, Tacotalpa, Tabasco, Mexico

Plant diversity in our country and indeed all over the world is used in different ways; therefore, the number of botanical families can vary depending on indigenous peoples and the culture that these human groups have maintained for generations, as well as their geographical area. This fact has led to a wealth of botanical knowledge and the development of traditional medicine. In this paper, the ethnobotanical knowledge used by the villagers in the “El Chile” Ridge area within the Pomoca Ejido of Sierra Tacotalpa inTabasco is presented. Uni-structured interviews were carried out with the cooperation of the villagers to generate basic information about the use of plants in the region, using the ethnobotanical methodology proposed by Martin (2001). Subsequently, the entire area of the Pomoca Ejido was explored in order to gather information on the ethnobotanical knowledge in the “El Chile” ridge area. It was determined that 19% is used for medicinal purposes, 16% for consumption, 14% ...