Wild edible plants in Yeşilli (Mardin-Turkey), a multicultural area

Abstract

BackgroundThe Yeşilli district (Mardin) is located in the southeastern of Turkey and hosts different cultures. The objective of this study was to record the traditional knowledge of wild edible plants used by indigenous people in Yeşilli, where no ethnobotanical studies have been conducted previously.MethodsAn ethnobotanical study was carried out in Yeşilli district in March 2017–March 2019 to document the traditional knowledge of wild edible plants. The data were collected by interviewing 62 informants. Additionally, the data were analysed based on the cultural importance index (CI) and factor informant consensus (FİC) to determine the cultural significance of wild edible plants and knowledge of wild edible plants among the informants.ResultsWe documented 74 wild edible taxa belonging to 31 families and 57 genera in the present study. The richness of the wild edible taxa was highest for vegetables (46 taxa), followed by medicinal plants (17 taxa) and fruit (14 taxa). The most important families were Asteraceae (ten taxa), Rosaceae (seven taxa) and Fabaceae (six taxa). The most culturally important taxa (based on the CI index) were Ficus carica subsp. carica, Lepidium draba, Anchusa strigosa, Rhus coriaria, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Sinapis alba, Gundelia tournefortii, Notobasis syriaca, Onopordum carduchorum, Malva neglecta, Mentha longifolia, Juglans regia and Urtica dioica. The maximum number of use reports was recorded for vegetables (1011). The factor informant consensus index (Fic) varied between 0.95 and 0.98 for preserved vegetables, beverages and spices and processed fruits have the highest Fic (0.99). We reported for the first time the ethnobotanical usage of 12 taxa as food. We also recorded the use of Allium wendelboanum, an endemic species in the study area.ConclusionThe obtained data were compared with data from other wild edible and ethnobotanical studies conducted in Turkey and particularly those conducted in eastern Turkey. Furthermore, the data were compared with data from studies conducted in the bordering countries of Iraq and Armenia. The present study reflects the cultural diversity of the region, and it is necessary to conduct more studies since it is thought that this diversity will contribute to the economy. This study will enable the traditional use of wild plants as food sources to be passed on to future generations.

Ethnomedicinal Plants of Hasankeyf (Batman-Turkey)

“…Since Arum rupicola is known for its toxic nature in the study area, local people subject it to a mandatory detoxification process before consuming it as medicine and food. This detoxification process has also been noted in previous ethnobotanical studies ( Yeşil and Akalın, 2010 ; Pieroni et al, 2017 ; Pieroni et al, 2018 ; Yeşil and İnal, 2019 ; Yeşil et al, 2019 ; Kılıç et al, 2020 ).…”

“…In recent years, many studies have been published in Turkey ( Günbatan et al, 2016 ; Korkmaz et al, 2016 ; Paksoy et al, 2016 ; Uzun and Kaya, 2016 ; Baykal and Atamov, 2017 ; Bulut et al, 2017 ; Güneş et al, 2017 ; Karcı et al, 2017 ; Kartal and Güneş, 2017 ; Özdemir and Kültür, 2017 ; Akgül et al, 2018 ; Sargin and Büyükcengiz, 2018 ; Nacakçı and Dutkuner, 2018 ; Gürbüz et al, 2019 ; Karakaya et al, 2019 ; Nadiroğlu et al, 2019 ; Polat, 2019 ; Çelik and Yeşil, 2020 ; Güler et al, 2020 ; Kaya et al, 2020 ; Kılıç et al, 2020 ). However, in southeastern Turkey, which covers the study area, only a limited number of ethnobotanical studies have been conducted ( Gençay, 2007 ; Akan et al, 2013 ; Akgül et al, 2018 ; Bulut et al, 2019 ; Yeşil et al, 2019 ; Yeşil and Inal, 2019 ; Kılıç et al, 2020 ).…”

Wild edible plant species used in the Ağrı province, eastern Turkey

“…2008 Many of these vegetables are rich in valuable nutrients. For instance, Malva neglecta, eaten cooked or raw, is rich in vitamins A, B and C (Yeşil & al. 2019).…”

“…It has substantial local value as a vegetable (CI cooked: 0.8 and CI raw 0.11) both in bordering countries and Turkey (Yeşil & Akalın 2010;Pieroni & al. 2017;Yeşil & al. 2019).…”

“…This is the case of the young flowers of Iris persica, that are valued for their mild taste. Interestingly, they are known as the heralds of the arrival of spring (Yeşil & al. 2019).…”