Ethnobotanical analysis for traditional knowledge of wild edible plants in North Jeolla Province (Korea)

Abstract

This study aims to investigate how wild edible plants are used according to orally transmitted traditional knowledge in North Jeolla Province, Korea. Data was collected utilizing semi-structured questionnaires through the participatory rural appraisal method. This study utilized 91 informants who produced 244 viable usages from the collection of 108 species, within 96 genera in 52 families. Regarding the distribution of recorded families, Asteraceae (22 species) occupied 29.6 % of the total use-reports. Within usage, vegetables (55 species) occupied 50.9 % of the whole. Overall, 22 kinds of plant-parts were selected as edible materials requiring 48 various preparatory methods. The category of preparatory methods with the highest degree of consensus from the informants were food dye, fried dry vegetables, pan fried cakes, seared spikelets, seasoned cooked vegetables (Type V), and steamed rice cakes. For fidelity levels (FL) of plants regarding preparatory methods, 27 plant species recorded a FL of 100 %. The results of this study will be enhanced due to the value of traditional knowledge of the local community concerning wild edible plants and will provide various usages for the plants as nutritional sources for the residents of local communities.