Floristic Inventory of Ethnobotanically Important Halophytes of North-Western Mediterranean Coastal Brackish Areas, Tuscany, Italy
Plants have always been used by people for multiple purposes, but over the centuries knowledge of useful plants has largely been lost. Through ethnobotanical studies it is possible to retrieve information on the uses of plants and renew the ancient attention to plants which could be useful to apply...
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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Series: | Agronomy |
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Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/3/615 |
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author | Tiziana Lombardi Irene Ventura Andrea Bertacchi |
author_facet | Tiziana Lombardi Irene Ventura Andrea Bertacchi |
author_sort | Tiziana Lombardi |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Plants have always been used by people for multiple purposes, but over the centuries knowledge of useful plants has largely been lost. Through ethnobotanical studies it is possible to retrieve information on the uses of plants and renew the ancient attention to plants which could be useful to apply in modern applications. In this context, the ethnobotanical use of halophytes has not been explored in depth. The present study focused on the flora of two brackish areas of the north-western Mediterranean sited in Tuscany, Italy. This research aimed to identify the halophyte species of ethnobotanical interest and create a relative map database of the study areas. The floristic list of the two areas, including 78 halophyte and non-halophyte species, was created following periodic field sampling, localization of the species by GPS, and taxonomic identification. The ethnobotanical information was acquired through a bibliographic survey. Botanical, geographic, and ethnobotanical information was filed and included in floristic maps produced using the free Open Source QGIS software. Of the total wild species surveyed, 50% were halophytes with ethnobotanical properties, with a predominance for medicinal ones. Some of them are the subject of numerous studies today such as those on antioxidants. Both investigated areas showed a high floristic and ethnobotanical value. This makes them interesting as potential germplasm banks to be used in various application contexts of ethnobotany. |
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format | Article |
id | doaj.art-9606512dd6c5473eb5422af747a7a620 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2073-4395 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:03:39Z |
publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
publisher | MDPI AG |
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series | Agronomy |
spelling | doaj.art-9606512dd6c5473eb5422af747a7a6202023-11-17T09:03:39ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952023-02-0113361510.3390/agronomy13030615Floristic Inventory of Ethnobotanically Important Halophytes of North-Western Mediterranean Coastal Brackish Areas, Tuscany, ItalyTiziana Lombardi0Irene Ventura1Andrea Bertacchi2Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto, 80, 56124 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto, 80, 56124 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto, 80, 56124 Pisa, ItalyPlants have always been used by people for multiple purposes, but over the centuries knowledge of useful plants has largely been lost. Through ethnobotanical studies it is possible to retrieve information on the uses of plants and renew the ancient attention to plants which could be useful to apply in modern applications. In this context, the ethnobotanical use of halophytes has not been explored in depth. The present study focused on the flora of two brackish areas of the north-western Mediterranean sited in Tuscany, Italy. This research aimed to identify the halophyte species of ethnobotanical interest and create a relative map database of the study areas. The floristic list of the two areas, including 78 halophyte and non-halophyte species, was created following periodic field sampling, localization of the species by GPS, and taxonomic identification. The ethnobotanical information was acquired through a bibliographic survey. Botanical, geographic, and ethnobotanical information was filed and included in floristic maps produced using the free Open Source QGIS software. Of the total wild species surveyed, 50% were halophytes with ethnobotanical properties, with a predominance for medicinal ones. Some of them are the subject of numerous studies today such as those on antioxidants. Both investigated areas showed a high floristic and ethnobotanical value. This makes them interesting as potential germplasm banks to be used in various application contexts of ethnobotany.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/3/615alimurgicalfloristic mapfolk medicineGIShalotolerant speciesplants database |
spellingShingle | Tiziana Lombardi Irene Ventura Andrea Bertacchi Floristic Inventory of Ethnobotanically Important Halophytes of North-Western Mediterranean Coastal Brackish Areas, Tuscany, Italy Agronomy alimurgical floristic map folk medicine GIS halotolerant species plants database |
title | Floristic Inventory of Ethnobotanically Important Halophytes of North-Western Mediterranean Coastal Brackish Areas, Tuscany, Italy |
title_full | Floristic Inventory of Ethnobotanically Important Halophytes of North-Western Mediterranean Coastal Brackish Areas, Tuscany, Italy |
title_fullStr | Floristic Inventory of Ethnobotanically Important Halophytes of North-Western Mediterranean Coastal Brackish Areas, Tuscany, Italy |
title_full_unstemmed | Floristic Inventory of Ethnobotanically Important Halophytes of North-Western Mediterranean Coastal Brackish Areas, Tuscany, Italy |
title_short | Floristic Inventory of Ethnobotanically Important Halophytes of North-Western Mediterranean Coastal Brackish Areas, Tuscany, Italy |
title_sort | floristic inventory of ethnobotanically important halophytes of north western mediterranean coastal brackish areas tuscany italy |
topic | alimurgical floristic map folk medicine GIS halotolerant species plants database |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/3/615 |
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