Edible Flowers Used in Some Countries of the Mediterranean Basin: An Ethnobotanical Overview

Motti, Riccardo; Paura, Bruno; Cozzolino, Alessia; Falco, Bruna de

doi:10.3390/plants11233272

Cited by 19 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 151 publications

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“…As expected, spices are most often used in the preparation of meat dishes in a similar way as in other Mediterranean countries [ 16 , 18 , 89 ]. These spices are common sage ( Salvia officinalis ), common juniper ( Juniperus communis ), thymes ( Thymus spp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Traditional Use of Wild Edible Plants in Slovenia: A Field Study and an Ethnobotanical Literature Review

Papež Kristanc,

Kreft,

Strgulc Krajšek

et al. 2024

Plants

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No comprehensive research has been conducted on the traditional use of wild-grown edible plants in human nutrition for the Slovene ethnic area so far. In the literature on edible wild plants, authors often draw information about their use from foreign or international sources, such as books and databases, from which it is often unclear what people in different countries really include into their diet. Therefore, our purpose was to determine which edible wild-growing plant species have been used in Slovenia on a traditional basis. In our research, we gathered data using different methods. The data obtained from the literature review, i.e., the ethnobotanical literature and traditional cookbooks, were combined with those derived from the online sources and a field survey. This enabled us to create a database of 219 plant taxa encompassing more than 500 species from 62 families that are traditionally used in Slovenia. The most frequently represented families were Asteraceae, with 28 taxa, Rosaceae, with 22 taxa, Lamiaceae, with 18 taxa, Brassicaceae, with 17 taxa, Apiaceae, with 16 taxa, and Amaranthaceae, with 10 taxa. Plants are most often boiled, blanched, stewed or roasted, sometimes also baked in an oven or raw with additives, such as sour cream, sugar, salt or vinegar, but seldom fried. Selected traditional cookbooks and ethnological books provided good insight into the past use of wild plants, while an online and field survey enabled a comparison of their past and current state of use. The survey has shown that some very old wild plant recipes are still used within certain local communities, while younger people, influenced by new books about wild cuisine, are constantly introducing new plant species and recipes into their diet thereby establishing new traditions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Traditional Use of Wild Edible Plants in Slovenia: A Field Study and an Ethnobotanical Literature Review

Papež Kristanc,

Kreft,

Strgulc Krajšek

et al. 2024

Plants

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“…Flowers are rich sources of phytochemistry, including amino acids, soluble protein, phenols, carbohydrates, and mineral, which havepotentialapplications in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries [33,34]. The flower can be consumed as a bud and/or as a whole flower, or only as petals in flowering plants, which exhibits unique ingredients and nutritional value at different developmental stages [35].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrient Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Cercis chinensis Flower in Response to Different Development Stages

Ren,

Qian,

et al. 2023

Horticulturae

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Cercis chinensis Bunge (C. chinensis), well known as an ornamental plant widely distributed in China, and its flowers, bark, fruit, etc., have multiple bioactivities. However, reports on the changes in mineral elements, nutrient composition and antioxidant activity in C. chinensis flower at different development stages are rare. In this study, the flower samples were collected every 20 days from March 2023 to May 2023. The changes in carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), soluble protein (SP), amino acid (AA), non-structural carbohydrate (NSC), total phenol (TP) and total flavonoids (TF) content as well as antioxidant activity in C. chinensis flower at different development stages were investigated. The results suggested that C, N, and P content, the C:N:P stoichiometric ratio, NSC contents, SP, AA, TP, TF and antioxidant activity of flower showed large variations at three development stages. This study found that C and P contents showed a significant decrease with the development and opening of flowers, while N content showed an opposite trend. The soluble protein content first decreased and then increased. The amino acid content, total polyphenol content, and total flavonoid content all showed a significant downward trend, while the content of NSC increased. Both ABTS and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) showed significant decreases at various developmental stages, but DPPH was completely opposite. The highest NSC content and DPPH activity were observed at stage III, but the highest AA, TP, TF, as well ABTS and FRAP activity wereobserved at stage I. These findings will improve understanding of the requirements and dynamic balance among C, N, and P, NSC and nutrient contents as well as antioxidant activity of C. chinensis flowers in response to development stages.

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“…As a topical application, the flowers are used for burn treatments [32,74], wounds [66], and rheumatic pains [49,79,80]. Elderflowers are also widely recognized for their health benefits, which encompass protection against degenerative illnesses such as cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, cancer, and diabetes [81].…”

Section: Medicinal Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethnobotanical Documentation of the Uses of Wild and Cultivated Plants in the Ansanto Valley (Avellino Province, Southern Italy)

Motti,

Marotta,

Bonanomi

et al. 2023

Plants

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With approximately 2800 species, the Campania region has the richest vascular flora in southern Italy and the highest number of medicinal species reported in the Italian folk traditions. The study area is inserted in a wide rural landscape, still retaining a high degree of naturalness and is studied for the first time from an ethnobotanical point of view. By analyzing local traditional uses of wild plants in the Ansanto Valley area, the present study aims to contribute to the implementation of ethnobotanical knowledge concerning southern Italy. To gather ethnobotanical knowledge related to the Ansanto Valley, 69 semi-structured interviews were carried out through a snowball sampling approach, starting from locals with experience in traditional plant uses (key informants). A number of 117 plant species (96 genera and 46 families) were documented for traditional use from a total of 928 reports, of which 544 were about medicinal plants. New use reports on the utilization of plants for medicinal (5) and veterinary applications (8) in the Campania region and the whole Italian territory were outlined from our investigations. Sedum cepaea is reported as a medicinal plant for the first time in Italy and in the whole Mediterranean basin.

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Edible Flowers Used in Some Countries of the Mediterranean Basin: An Ethnobotanical Overview

Cited by 19 publications

References 151 publications

Traditional Use of Wild Edible Plants in Slovenia: A Field Study and an Ethnobotanical Literature Review

Traditional Use of Wild Edible Plants in Slovenia: A Field Study and an Ethnobotanical Literature Review

Nutrient Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Cercis chinensis Flower in Response to Different Development Stages

Ethnobotanical Documentation of the Uses of Wild and Cultivated Plants in the Ansanto Valley (Avellino Province, Southern Italy)

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