Ethnobotanical studies on the Tyrrhenian side of the Aspromonte Massif (Calabria, Southern Italy)

Abstract

A great deal of ethnobotanical knowledge, passed down from generation to generation by oral tradition, is still preserved in the Mediterranean basin. Over the years, efforts have been made to collect this information to avoid losing this heritage. This work is a contribution towards the ethnobotanical knowledge of Calabria (southern Italy) through a survey on the Tyrrhenian side of the Aspromonte Massif in the metropolitan city of Reggio Calabria, an area that has been little studied from the ethnobotanical point of view. For this purpose, several semi-structured interviews were conducted with informants on the current and past use of spontaneous and cultivated plants in this study area; the data were collected in a Microsoft Excel® spreadsheet and then processed. Fifty-nine people were interviewed. Results show that the most frequently used plant family is Asteraceae, the most mentioned taxon is Anethum piperitum (22 interviews), and the most recurrent use is use is culinary, for the preparation of side-dishes. This work highlights the presence of cultures that have used plants in the past and represents a further contribution to the ethnobotanical knowledge of this region.