Ethnobotany is quintessentially interdisciplinary, involving knowledge and use of plants and their ecology in the context of their cultural, social and economic significance. Its scope was much elaborated by ford 1978 and faulks 1958. The book brings together for the first time previously published journal articles that provide diverse perspectives on a. Ethnobotanists plan for prepare, explain and define the difficult relationship among the plants and cultures. Ethnobotany as a pharmacological research tool and recent. The field combines botany, anthropology, economics, and sometimes archaeology in paleoethnobotany, the study of vanished agricultural systems. Ethnobotany is regarded as the study of relationship between plants and humans. Ethnobotany is the study of a regions plants and their practical uses through the traditional. Bennett encyclopedia of life support systemseolss local plant knowledge. Quantitative ethnobotany or quantification in ethnobotany. Ethnobotany definition of ethnobotany by merriamwebster. Ethnobotany is the study of the interrelationship between people and plants, historically and crossculturally, particularly the role of plants in human culture and. The meaning of trees the history and use of new zealands native plants.
Published in 2001 after six years of research and field study, this is a compendium which will have wide use for students of ethnobotany, tropical botany, pharmacology, horticulture and ecology among. This manual on ethnobotany is central to the people and plants initiative. Original papers, fast turnaround and reasonable prices. The branch of ethnobiology that studies the plant lore and agricultural customs of a people. Ethnobotany definition is the plant lore of indigenous cultures. So the tools of ethnobotanical investigations are many. It was thought of in practical use terms for culinary and medical purposes and the. Define and analyze how the disciplines below are relevant to the study of ethnobotany. His focus has been on the plants found in cliff dwellings of southwestern america.
Information and translations of ethnobotany in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. An ethnobotanist thus strives to document the local customs involving the practical uses of local flora for many aspects of life, such as plants as medicines, foods, intoxicants and clothing. Ethnobotany and ecology of plants for reproductive health unesco mab young scientists research award 2008, gertrude l. Ethnobotany ethnobotany as an interdisciplinary science is, therefore, in a position to contribute to development of the wealth of traditional knowledge of the indigenous people concerning their natural systems and environment, their knowledge on utilization and maintenance of plant resources on a long term basis without damaging or destroying their. From the perspective of ethnobotany, the higher a plants status among native peoples, the more potent it often proves to be medicinally. Anthropology definition is the science of human beings. Indigenous definition of indigenous by merriamwebster. Ethnobotany ethnobotany investigates the relationship between human societies and plants. The study of the relationship between humans and plants.
The term quantitative ethnobotany is defined in these works as the application of quantitative techniques to direct analysis of contemporary plant use data. Ethnobotany definition of ethnobotany by the free dictionary. Ethnobotany is an interdisciplinary science, which includes aspects of both sciences and humanities. All articles are ed by the authors and are published online by a license from the authors. Ethnoscience is a term used to encompass studies describe local peoples interaction. Value added describes the enhancement a company gives its product or service before offering the product to customers.
Ethnobotany research and applications issn 15473465 is published online by the department of ethnobotany, institute of botany, ilia state university. Botany includes all the wild plants and the domesticated species. The term was first coined by a university of pennsylvania botanist by the name of j. Ethnobotany, the study of the classification, use and management of plants by people, draws on a range of disciplines, including natural and social sciences, to show how conservation of plants and of local knowledge about them can be. Ethnobotany dictionary definition ethnobotany defined. Ethnobotany is the study of the relationship between. Indigenous definition is produced, growing, living, or occurring natively or naturally in a particular region or environment. When i first began this blog in 2014, i was completing my undergraduate studies in biology at the university of auckland. The basic definition is the one implied above the study of how people interact.
Ethnobotany meaning ethnobotany pronunciation ethnobotany definition ethnobotany explanation how to pronounce ethnobotany. This study compares the efficiency of identifying the plants in an area of semiarid northeast brazil by methods that a access the local knowledge used in ethnobotanical studies using semistructured interviews conducted within the entire community, an inventory interview conducted with two participants using the previously collected vegetation inventory, and a. Ethnobotany from ethnology, study of culture, 1 and botany, study of plants is the scientific study of the relationships that exist between peoples and plants ethnobotanists aim to document, describe and explain complex relationships between cultures and uses of plants, focusing primarily on how plants are used, managed and perceived across human societies. Because plants are the basis of all material cultures, preservation of ethnobotanical knowledge, like the preservation of language, is a requisite for the safekeeping of cultures. Questionnaire design is very crucial and important part of the research, because an inappropriate questionnaire misleads the research, academics and policymaking. Ethnobotany deals with the direct relationship of plants with man. A reader is intended for use as a textbook in upper division undergraduate and graduate courses in economic botany, ethnobotany, and human ecology. Ethnobotany is the study of interrelations between humans and plants. Ethnobotany project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Ethnobotanist definition, the plant lore and agricultural customs of a people. Ethnobotany is the study of a regions plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of a local culture and people. Ethnobotany definition and meaning collins english. This question is part of ethnobotany preclass quiz. Anthropology definition of anthropology by merriamwebster.
What is ethnobotany and why does it matter ethno as in ethnic refers to people, culture, a cultures collective body of beliefs, aesthetic, language, knowledge, and practice botany is the study of plantsfrom the tiniest fern or blade of grass to the tallest or oldest tree. The part of the botanical sciences dedicated to the study of the plants used by a certain community, race, nation, tribe, or any kind of determined social group. Though this discipline has existed for ages, ethno botany emerged as a distinct academic branch of natural science in twentieth century. The term ethnobotany was first used by harshberger in 1895, to the study of plants used by primitive and aboriginal people. Ethnobotany definition of ethnobotany by medical dictionary. Ray 16861704 provided the first definition of species identify medicinal plant.
Harshberger in 1895 to include the study of plants used by the primitive and aboriginal people. Pharmacognosy is the study of plants or other natural sources as a possible source of drugs. But, beyond these more ancient methods that help to define the field, the modern version of ethnobotany, name and all, still remains decently ancient itself. The term ethnobotany was suggested by john harshberger in 1896 to delimit a specific field of botany and to describe plant uses. Definition of ethnobotany categorized under generaldefinition as written by grannylois. Ethnobotany can serve as a ethnobotany can serve as a gateway to many different disciplines like the ones listed. It involves the indigenous knowledge of plant classification, cultivation, and use as food, medicine and shelter. Though the term ethnobotany was not coined until 1895 by the us botanist john william harshberger, the history of the field begins long before that. Therefore, a set of adequate and appropriate questions in a sequential order is required in a questionnaire. This is a pdf file of an unedited manuscript that has. It was defined as the use of plants by aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the 20th the term ethnobotany was not coined until 1895 by the. Ethnobotany can serve as a gateway to many different disciplines like the ones listed. The american society of pharmacognosy defines pharmacognosy as the study of the physical, chemical, biochemical and biological properties of drugs, drug substances or potential drugs or drug substances of natural origin as well as the search for new drugs from natural sources.
Ethnobotany is an integrative, multidisciplinary field of learning. In particular, it should explain what kind of gender biases exist, and how they. Ethnobotany as a pharmacological research tool and recent developments in cnsactive natural products from ethnobotanical sources. Evaluating different methods used in ethnobotanical and. The definition of ethnobotany can be computational in. Ethnobotany is the study of how cultures use plants. Definition and scope of ethnobotany fairchild garden.