Ethnobotany is the study of a region's plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of a local culture and people. 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. Richard Evans Schultes, often referred to as the "father of ethnobotany", explained the discipline in this way:
Ethnobotany simply means investigating plants used by primitive societies in various parts of the world.
Zamia is a genus of cycad of the family Zamiaceae, native to North America from the United States throughout the West Indies, Central America, and South America as far south as Bolivia. The genus is considered to be the most ecologically and morphologically diverse of the cycads, and is estimated to have originated about 68.3 million years ago.
Costus is a genus of herbaceous perennial plants in the family Costaceae, erected by Linnaeus in 1753. It is widespread through tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Ilex guayusa is a species of tree of the holly genus, native to the Amazon Rainforest. One of four known caffeinated holly trees, the leaves of the guayusa tree are harvested fresh and brewed like a tea for their stimulative effects. It is known simply as guayusa in western languages like Spanish, as waisa in Kichwa and as wayus or wais in Shuar.
Ficus maxima is a fig tree which is native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America south to Paraguay. Figs belong to the family Moraceae. The specific epithet maxima was coined by Scottish botanist Philip Miller in 1768; Miller's name was applied to this species in the Flora of Jamaica, but it was later determined that Miller's description was actually of the species now known as Ficus aurea. To avoid confusion, Cornelis Berg proposed that the name should be conserved for this species. Berg's proposal was accepted in 2005.
Rotheca myricoides is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to Africa and widely cultivated elsewhere. In cultivation, it is frequently known by one of its synonyms, such as Clerodendrum myricoides.
Boerhavia diffusa is a species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family which is commonly known as punarnava, red spiderling, spreading hogweed, or tarvine. It is taken in herbal medicine for pain relief and other uses. The leaves of Boerhavia diffusa are often used as a green vegetable in many parts of India.
Zanthoxylum asiaticum is a species of plant in the family Rutaceae. Under its synonym Toddalia asiatica, it was the only species in the monotypic genus Toddalia, now included in Zanthoxylum. It is known by the English name orange climber.
Costus spicatus, also known as spiked spiralflag ginger or Indian head ginger, is a species of herbaceous plant in the Costaceae family.
This is a list of plants used by the indigenous people of North America. For lists pertaining specifically to the Cherokee, Iroquois, Navajo, and Zuni, see Cherokee ethnobotany, Iroquois ethnobotany, Navajo ethnobotany, and Zuni ethnobotany.
Tabernaemontana sananho is a tropical tree species in the family Apocynaceae known as lobo sanango. Lobo sanango grows in the Amazon Basin of northern South America.
Heteroblasty is the significant and abrupt change in form and function, that occurs over the lifespan of certain plants. Characteristics affected include internode length and stem structure as well as leaf form, size and arrangement. It should not be confused with seasonal heterophylly, where early and late growth in a season are visibly different. This change is different from a homoblastic change which is a gradual change or little change at all, so that there is little difference between the juvenile and adult stages. Some characteristics affected by heteroblastic change include the distance between successive leaves and stem structure as well as leaf form, size and arrangement. Heteroblasty is found in many plant families as well as only some species within a genus. This random spread of heteroblastic plants across species is believed to be caused by convergent evolution.
Costus curvibracteatus is a tropical rhizomatous perennial native to Costa Rica and Panama.
Ina Vandebroek is an ethnobotanist working in the areas of floristics, ethnobotany and community health. Since 2005, she has worked at the New York Botanical Garden in the Institute of Economic Botany. She has worked on ethnobotanical projects in North America, the Caribbean, and South America.
Costus comosus, known as red tower ginger, is a species of plant native to South Mexico to Ecuador.
Costus afer, English ginger lily or common ginger lily, is a species of plant native to Tropical Africa.
Costus scaber is a species of plant in the Costaceae family. Its native range is Mexico to Tropical America.
Costus productus, known as orange tulip ginger, dwarf orange ginger, or green mountain spiral flag, is a species of plant in the Costaceae family. Costus productus is native to South Colombia and Peru.
Costus pictus, known as painted spiral ginger or spotted spiral ginger, is a species of plant in the Costaceae family. Its native range is Mexico to Central America.
