Edible native plants of the Gulf of Mexico Province

Abstract

Currently, at the global level, human food is mainly based on a few crops extensively cultivated as monocultures. Climate change, changes in land to agriculture and cattle raising, as well as the scarcity of water all affect and reduce the possibility of cultivating alternative crops. One way to face this global problem is to promote the knowledge, production and consumption of native food species on a regional scale. For this study, two databases were constructed for the Gulf of Mexico Province: 1) edible plant species with their corresponding common name, category of use, plant organ(s) utilised as food and type of management; 2) distribution records of these edible species. These species, in addition to being part of the biological diversity of Mexico are of high nutritional, cultural and gastronomical value and have been present in the diet of the inhabitants and ethnic groups in the region since pre-Hispanic times. This study presents the native edible plants of the Gulf of Mexico Province, an area inhabited by 15 ethnic groups. The main novelty of this contribution is the edible plant species database, which includes the records of 482 species that belong to 101 families and 268 genera. We also present information rarely reported in an ethnobotanical inventory: 1) category of food use, 2) category of plant organ used, 3) common name, 4) type of management and 5) the georeferenced distribution of species occurrence in the Gulf of Mexico Province.

Wild and cultivated comestible plant species in the Gulf of Mexico: phylogenetic patterns and convergence of type of use

“…Wild and managed/cultivated vascular plants, classed as food (edible, condiment, or wrapping), considering plant organs utilized (roots/bulbs/rhizomes, stems, bark, wood, latex/resin, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds) were considered ( Piedra-Malagón et al 2022 ). Information was based on fieldwork conducted as part of our project, the relevant published literature and data included with specimens deposited in the herbaria of this Province ( Piedra-Malagón et al 2022 ). The database was comprised of 473 species of vascular plants distributed in the Province of the Gulf of Mexico and was utilized to carry out analyses.…”

“…The database was comprised of 473 species of vascular plants distributed in the Province of the Gulf of Mexico and was utilized to carry out analyses. The nomenclature was corrected from the initial number of the published database (487), based on World Flora Online ( www.worldfloraonline.org ) ( Piedra-Malagón et al 2022 ).…”

“…Research on food plants around the world has found that different peoples prefer certain lineages and that associations exist between clades and edible usage ( Van Wyk 2019 ; Molina-Venegas et al 2020 ; Gaoue et al 2021 a , b ; Cantwell-Jones et al 2022 ). In the Province of the Gulf of Mexico, out of the approximately 500 food recorded plants, most species belong to four different families: Fabaceae, Cactaceae, Solanaceae and Asparagaceae ( Piedra-Malagón et al . 2022 ).…”

“…2022 ). Moreover, this Province extends along the coastal plain of the Gulf of Mexico reaching altitudes up to 6000 m above sea level (see Piedra Malagón et al 2022 ) ( Fig. 1 ).…”

“…1 ). The region with variable climate and forests from coniferous, tropical evergreen, deciduous and cloud forests to xerophilic scrubs and aquatic vegetation represents an extensive and remarkable variable region to study the phylogenetic patterns of the edible plants where about 15 ethnic groups inhabit this province ( Challenger and Soberón 2008 ; Atlas de los Pueblos Indígenas de México 2020 ; Piedra Malagón et al 2022 ).…”