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La cueillette des plantes médicinales en Guyane française est une pratique relativement méconnue, sous-estimée et souvent perçue comme anecdotique ou insignifiante. Pourtant, tous les jours, des personnes peuvent être vues ramassant des plantes sur les bords de route, pour leur propre usage ou, dans de moindres proportions, pour les vendre. Cet article vise à caractériser ces pratiques de cueillette des plantes médicinales et leur diversité et à souligner la pertinence de l’entrée par ces plantes pour interroger le fonctionnement de sociétés sujettes à des transformations rapides et désignées ici comme « en transition ». À la lumière de deux études de cas, une sur la cueillette urbaine dans l’agglomération de Cayenne et l’autre en zone rurale le long du bas-Maroni, cet article permet de repenser les relations nature-société-ville. En observant les spécificités socio-culturelles influençant les modalités de cueillette, il propose un schéma conceptuel de ces pratiques en mobilisant les idées d’hétérogénéité et de finalité comme concepts explicatifs. The gathering of medicinal plants in French Guiana is a relatively unknown practice, underestimated and often perceived as an anecdotic or insignificant one. However, everyday people can be seen harvesting plants on the road sides, for their own needs or in small proportions, for selling. This paper aims to characterise these medicinal plants’ collection practices, their diversity and their relevance for questioning the functioning of societies, which are subjected to rapid transformations and are therefore designed here as “transitional”. Through two case studies, one on urban collection in Cayenne city and one in the rural area along the low Maroni river, this paper analyses the connection between societies, nature and urban dynamics. By observing the socio-cultural specificities influencing collection modes, we propose a conceptualization scheme of collection practices, through the explanatory concepts of heterogeneity and purpose.

The gathering of medicinal plants in French Guiana is a relatively unknown practice, underestimated and often perceived as an anecdotic or insignificant one. However, everyday people can be seen harvesting plants on the road sides, for their own needs or in small proportions, for selling. This paper aims to characterise these medicinal plants’ collection practices, their diversity and their relevance for questioning the functioning of societies, which are subjected to rapid transformations and are therefore designed here as “transitional”. Through two case studies, one on urban collection in Cayenne city and one in the rural area along the lower Maroni River, this paper analyses the connection between societies, nature and urban dynamics. By observing the socio-cultural specificities influencing collection modes, we propose a conceptualization scheme of collection practices, through the explanatory concepts of heterogeneity and purpose.