Background A comparative food ethnobotanical
study was carried out in fifteen local communities distributed in five
districts in the Palestinian Authority, PA (northern West Bank), six of which
were located in Nablus, two in Jenin, two in Salfit, three in Qalqilia, and two
in Tulkarm. These are among the areas in the PA whose rural inhabitants
primarily subsisted on agriculture and therefore still preserve the traditional
knowledge on wild edible plants.
Methods Data on the use of wild edible plants were collected for
one-year period, through informed consent semi-structured interviews with 190
local informants. A semi-quantitative approach was used to document use
diversity, and relative importance of each species.
Results and discussion The
study recorded 100 wild edible plant species, seventy six of which were
mentioned by three informants and above and were distributed across 70 genera
and 26 families. The most significant species include Majorana syriaca,
Foeniculum vulgare, Malvasylvestris, Salvia fruticosa, Cyclamen
persicum, Micromeria fruticosa, Arum palaestinum, Trigonella foenum-graecum,
Gundelia tournefortii, and Matricaria aurea. All the ten species
with the highest mean cultural importance values (mCI), were cited in all five
areas. Moreover, most were important in every region. A common cultural
background may explain these similarities. One taxon (Majoranasyriaca)
in particular was found to be among the most quoted species in almost all areas
surveyed. CI values, as a measure of traditional botanical knowledge, for
edible species in relatively remote and isolated areas (Qalqilia, and Salfit)
were generally higher than for the same species in other areas. This can be
attributed to the fact that local knowledge of wild edible plants and plant
gathering are more spread in remote or isolated areas.
Conclusion Gathering, processing and consuming wild edible plants are
still practiced in all the studied Palestinian areas. About 26 % (26/100) of
the recorded wild botanicals including the most quoted and with highest mCI
values, are currently gathered and utilized in all the areas, demonstrating
that there are ethnobotanical contact points among the various Palestinian
regions. The habit of using wild edible plants is still alive in the PA, but is
disappearing. Therefore, the recording, preserving, and infusing of this
knowledge to future generations is pressing and fundamental.
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