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The article presents the author's experiences as the editor-in-chief of the journal "Economic Botany" and provides brief information about the operational settings in the publication of this journal. During the last year's meetings of the Society for Economic Botany, the owner of this journal, held in Canterbury, Connecticut, the author was asked to head the journal's editorial board. He appraises the intellects of several of his colleagues, botanists and their contributions. During the conference, the journal's shape, size and scope were decided. Discussions were conducted to design the journal more analytic, more scientific and less descriptive. The author is planning to ask the Society's Council at the next annual meeting to mandate that all manuscripts must be submitted electronically and that manuscripts submitted in paper form will be automatically rejected. He guarantee that each submitted manuscripts will be react carefully. The author's future goal is to enhance the journal as a lively, compelling and quoted journal.

This paper examines the abundance and Aboriginal use of botanical non-timber forest products in the Gwich`in Settlement Area in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Informants indicated that wild berries are important to Gwich`in diets and an important factor in culture and traditional land use. People collected mostly cloudberries (Rubus chamaemorus), blueberries (Vaccinium uliginosum), and lingonberries (Vaccinium Vitis-idaea). The total quantities collected were estimated to be greater than other published accounts of berry gathering by northern Aboriginal peoples in North America. The total collected by the 450 households in the year 2000 was about 16,000 L. Inventories of wild berries on the landscape suggest that substantial quantities could be collected for commercial production, although the between-year supply can show considerable variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The indigenous people of Australia have a long and well-documented history of using native plants as an essential component of their customary economy. However few have engaged successfully in commerce based on native plant use. Recently there has been an increasing interest in exploring options for use of native plants for food, food additives, botanical medicines, and related purposes. In this paper, we determine the issues important to Aboriginal people in enterprise development utilizing plant products, and we define some of the factors affecting progress in realizing opportunities. The Aboriginal people with whom we have worked appear to prefer small-scale enterprises where they have community ownership of ideas and control of the rate and direction of development. Government could play a larger and more active role through supporting additional research and marketing information, providing training, and better matching policy and legislation to support indigenous development and reduce dependence of welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a study of paddy vegetation in central Laos. Plants were inventoried and vegetation types classified. Relationships between vegetation and agricultural practices were identified. A total of 184 wild herbaceous species and 17 cultivated species were recorded in two villages. Of the wild species, 19 were used by local people, four were rare species, and three were major weeds. Paddy vegetation was arranged in order of water regime from shorter to longer hydroperiod by DCA. The factors contributing to high species diversity were: (1) the presence of species unique to different paddy types; (2) the presence of remnant species from original vegetation; and (3) the impact of agricultural practices. Thus, at this study site, multiple plant species coexisted in paddy fields under various agricultural practices, and some species were essential sources of food or were used in other ways to support the subsistence livelihoods of local residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Economic Botany is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper pursues the lead of Bart K. Holland in utilizing classic literature as a guide to the pharmacologic potentialities of natural products. Instead of focusing on European texts, how ever, American medicinal plants are examined through the work of the influential naturalist Constantine S. Rafinesque (1783--1840). Rafinesque is discussed with special attention to his activities as a medical botanist. In particular, the plant species monographed in the main section of his Medical Flora of the United States (1828--1830) are studied for theirhistorical and current use as medicinal agents. The results are tabulated and presented in a bar graph. The study concludes that Rafinesque was a progressive therapist whose Medical Flora is a promising guide for phytopharmacuetical prospecting with North American plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hispano-Arabic culture in the Iberian Middle Ages is a major chapter in the history of the use and knowledge of plants. The Andalusi agronomists, botanists and physicians assimilated their heritage of Iberian, Hispano-Roman, and Hispano-Visigothic cultures with North-African and Eastern influences. They developed a profound knowledge of the plant world and managed a high diversity of species. A part of this ethnobotanical and agronomic heritage was transmitted not only to the local cultures and generations that followed, but also to peoples on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean by the Spanish colonists in the New World. This paper presents a study of the principal works of the so-called Andalusi Agronomic School (10th--15th centuries) and their agronomist authors: Arib ben Said, Ibn Wafid, Ibn Hayyay, Abu l-Jayr, Ibn Bassal, al-Tignari, Ibn al-Awwam and Ibn Luyun. We also raisequestions about Andalusi ethnobotany, the introduction of Oriental species in the Iberian Peninsula and the prospects for ethnobotanical research through the philological study of Hispano-Arabic writings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Economic Botany is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Economic Botany is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article presents a study which documents the knowledge as well as the use of native and exotic plants used in capturing and sustaining wild finches in the province of Alicante, Spain. It offers details on the area of study including climate, seasonal description, and vegetation. It states that the researchers employed semi-structured interviews in gathering information and verified it thru participant field observation.

The article presents the authors insights on various endeavors of the Society for Economic Botany (SEB). The author mentions the 2009 recipients of the Distinguished Economic Botanist Award namely Dr. Michael Balick and Dr. Nina Etkin, who passed away on the same year due to a long-time illness. Also discussed are the objectives on the society and one of its programs called Biodiversity and Human Health in Micronesia, which cater on the study of islands in the face of global change.

Ethnobotanical studies often assume plant knowledge is shared by all members of an arbitrarily bounded human group. By describing the uses and local categorization of plants in one village in rural Panama in a heteroglossic approach, the different know/edges within a village are presented in one article. Plants used in the daily work of women and men, and the work of village specialists are described. Villagers negotiate changing realities by adapting plant use and knowledge; this is reflected in local categorization of plant names into antes and hoy día. Unlike the established ethnobotanical assumption that bounded units of plant knowledge are dying, the younger generations of villagers, who work both within and outside the village, know more plants useful to their changing economic opportunities. Subsistence agriculturalists possess the adaptive plant knowledge skills to be stewards of the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of the twelve species of Chamaedorea palm recorded for Belize, three are of international economic value because their cut leaves (xaté) are traded in the floricultural industry. Traditionally, Belize has not harvested xaté, the industry being based in Mexico and Guatemala. However, a decline in wild xaté stocks in these countries means Guatemalan leaf harvesters now illegally harvest xaté in Belize. To assess the local abundance of the Belizean Chamaedorea resource, its economic value, and the extent to which it has been illegally harvested, 209 plots measuring 20 meters (m) by 20 m were established ill the Greater Maya Mountains (GMM) in western Belize, which includes the Chiquibul Forest Reserve (CFR). We estimate that 37.8 million leaves with a value of U.S. $0.3 million to xateros have been extracted from the CFR. The standing export value is calculated as U.S. $1.8 million for the CFR and U.S. $5 million for the GMM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on a study related to economic botany. According to the researchers, talking books are effective tools for capturing and preserving traditional knowledge. The research findings suggest that the photos of each plant, disease or other concept shown in each image in the talking book should be simple and show features that are salient to the community members who will use the book. The talking book can be recharged in the sun once there is a need for it. The moving cassette mechanism can easily break down in the harsh environments in which they might be used. The plastic containers and bags are readily available in kitchen stores in many cities around the world. A talking book was developed that can be used to return documentation and preserve knowledge of not only medicinal plant knowledge, for which it has been used in a project, but also of construction techniques and hunting techniques. The study shows that the solar-powered, weather-resistant talking book presented has shown initial promise in community education, traditional knowledge documentation and preservation and stimulation of the interest of future generations.

This article describes the market for medicinal plants sold in the Vietnamese town of Sapa as well as in nine different markets in the Vietnamese capital city, Hanoi. A total of 44 medicinal plants were identified botanically, 27 of which are on sale in Sapa and 28 in Hanoi. Most buyers of medicinal plants in Sapa are members of the Vietnamese middle classes who go to Sapa on holidays. Medicinal plants are gathered or cultivated predominantly by members of ethnic minority groups (Hmong and Dao) who live in small hamlets, some located several hours from the town of Sapa. Sapa is one of the poorest districts in Vietnam with a GDP per household of only U.S. $322 in 2005, so the cash that people are able to earn from the sale of medicinal plants is very important. The article argues that the social roles of the weekend market in Sapa are equally important, as the market helps ethnic minorities to fulfil their needs for a social life beyond the village. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the economic botany, the introduction to the U.S., as well as the status and outlook of Colocasi gigantea use based on research comparing food plant usage by American Vietnamese. Bạ hà, the southern Vietnamese name for Colocasi gigantea, is a key "traditional ingredient" in making a Vietnamese soup called canh chua, which literally means "sour soup." Anatomically, it is not the stem, but rather the petiole that is eaten. The petioles extend from a thickened corm that is up to a meter or more in length. Moreover, "taro" typically refers to Colocasia esculenta. Individual leaves are cut from standing plants at the base of the petiole just above the ground. In the Chinatown markets of Hawaii, and other Asian markets in the U.S., the aroidpetioleis sold whole or cut into smaller sections with the leaf blade completely removed. For consumption, the epidermis of the petiole is peeled and then sliced in diagonal cross-sections and slightly blanched in soup, retaining its crisp texture. Vietnamese immigrants have been credited for the introduction and/or increased availability of 20 to 30 taxa of plants to the U.S. in their efforts to have traditional Vietnamese foods.

The Philippines is a country that has little low-forest cover left, but it still has many useful forest species. Despite the decline of forest area and the degradation of forests, many of the poorest households, both indigenous and migrant, are pushed into the remaining forest area and depend on forest goods for their subsistence and monetary income. These goods are inevitably nonwood forest products (NWFPs) because timber extraction is now illegal in many parts of the country. The extraction of nonwood forest products, such as resin and rattan, is the only source of a cash income for many households. However, despite the long tradition of NWFP extraction in forest-edge villages, the income that collectors get from these products is still minimal. The impediments to a more equitable and efficient trade in NWFPs are examined, and possible ways of adding value locally to NWFPs are presented, using almaciga (Agathis philippinensis) resin extraction as a case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iriartea deltoidea grows abundantly from Nicaragua to Bolivia. The stem is harvested for construction, furniture making, and handicrafts. The objective of my study was to understand the potential for sustainable harvesting of this palm. Ethnographic fieldwork about market patterns and decision-making among harvesters revealed the nature of harvesting pressures near settled areas. The study also demonstrates methods for assessing social and economic influences on harvesting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous people, such as the Tagbanua of Palawan Island in the Philippines, are often considered to be experienced and responsible users of natural resources. The Tagbanua have traditionally been involved in the collection of nonwood forest products (NWFPs) both for trade and for subsistence purposes. The proximity of many Tagbanua communities to the forest allows them easy access to NWFPs, although various restrictions, such as distance from markets, legal land issues, and lack of formal education, prevent them from receiving more favorable earnings from the sale of NWFPs. Similarly, increasing access to manufactured products also lessens dependence on NWFPs for food, medicine, and housing purposes, although small incomes prevent extensive conversion to the use of purchased goods. The knowledge and current subsistence-level use of NWFPs by the Tagbanua from the settlement of Boong are described and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Economic Botany is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The communities of Tsehlanyane and Bokong depend on subsistence agriculture and harvesting natural resources for a variety of needs, mainly firewood, handcrafts, medicine, food, construction, and socio-cultural amenities. They have done so since time immemorial and are singularly responsible for the good conservation value that the area represents. The area has the longest history of conservation championed by a local traditional authority in Lesotho. From December 1999 to March 2000 we conducted a survey that was aimed at making an inventory of resources, on which people rely, that will be affected by the establishment of a biosphere reserve linking the Tsehlanyane National Park and the Bokong Nature Reserve. In the survey, 149 households were sampled representing a sampling intensity of 19% in both communities. One hundred forty-seven species of plants were mentioned, falling into 51 families with the most commonly used families being Asteraceae, Liliaceae sens. lat. and Poaceae. The study also revealed that tenurial rights on these resources are communal and usufructuary and are increasingly being undermined by commercialization that relegate resources to an open access system. The study identified six main use categories, namely, firewood, handcrafts, medicinals, wild fruits, wild vegetables, and miscellaneous uses. Finally, the study demonstrated that ethnobotanical knowledge is widely held in Lesotho with the traditional doctors being the major repositories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Economic Botany is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Discusses the uses of Zostera marina, mainly found in Norway. Vernacular names for Zostera in the country; Common applications for the aquatic plant; Endurance of the plant as a roof cover.

Copyright of Economic Botany is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In most of the western world where industrial hemp, Cannabis sativa, is licensed for cultivation, the plants must not exceed a level of 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal intoxicating constituent of the species. Because there are no publicly available germplasm hemp collections in North America and only a very few, recent North American cultivars have been bred, the future breeding of cultivars suitable for North America is heavily dependent on European cultivars and European germplasm collections. Based mostly on material from Europe, this study surveyed THC levels of 167 accessions grown in southern Ontario, making this the largest survey to date of germplasm intended for breeding in North America. Forty-three percent of these had THC levels ≥0.3% and, therefore, are unsuitable for hemp development in North America. Discrepancies were found between THC levels reported for some germplasm holdings in Europe when they were grown in Canada and, accordingly, verification of THC levels developed in North America is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Economic Botany is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Economic Botany is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Economic Botany is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study was carried out in the regions where handcrafts such as carpet and rug weaving are common in Turkey. In the regions where natural dyes are used, 123 plant species belonging to 50 families were identified as sources of natural dyes. In natural dye production, different parts of the plant or the whole aboveground plant is used. Ten different colors are gained from the plants. Sometimes the same color can be obtained from different plants. By mixing different plants, it is possible to produce various colors. We also identified more than 12 natural and more than eight chemical assistant substances (mordant) that are used in the regions to bind dye to fibers, to maintain the strongness and brightness of the colors, and to obtain various colors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the views of the speakers at the Society for Economic Botany's 26th Annual Meeting of 1985 on the future of ethnobotany in the U.S. Details of the lack of cooperation among researchers to develop plant pharmaceuticals; Research on the use of Plasmodium falciparum in treating malaria; Analysis of the effect of plant extracts on tuberculosis.

The article presents three studies on economic plants. The first research centered on jujube, a multipurpose plant that is one of the world's major fruit crops, its natural history and cultivation. The second study focused on a certain ritual in Tuscany, Italy that used botanicals against the evil-eye. The third feature investigated the presence of diosgenin in Dioscorea batatas.

The article offers the author's insight on Richard Evans Schultes, an ethnobotanist and editor of the journal "Society for Economic Botany," from 1962 to 1979 who died on April 10, 2001. He says that Schultes can be rightfully called the father of modern ethnobotany, due to his numerous researches in the field. He adds that the book "The Healing Forest," written by Schultes and Raffauf is a medicinal plant book which describe the uses of 1600 species of plants found in the Northwest of Amazonia.

Copyright of Economic Botany is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Economic Botany is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Economic Botany is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)