Preserving Traditional Botanical Knowledge: The Importance of Phytogeographic and Ethnobotanical Inventory of Peruvian Dye Plants.

José Mostacero León,Helmut Yabar,Segundo E López Medina,Jordan De La Cruz Castillo

doi:10.3390/plants6040063

José Mostacero León, Helmut Yabar + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/plants6040063

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Abstract

Peru is a megadiverse country with native species of all kinds, including dye plants, which have been used for hundreds of years by the local population. Despite the fact that many of these natural dyes are of a superior quality compared to synthetic ones and do not have the harmful effects that the latter may cause to human health, due to the lack of documentation and dissemination, ethnobotanical knowledge is unfortunately being lost with the passing of generations. In order to preserve and spread such valuable knowledge, this study conducted a comprehensive taxonomic, phytogeographic, and ethnobotanical inventory of dye plants based on periodical botanical explorations in selected locations of Northern Peru during the span of two decades. A critical review of the specialized bibliography was then carried out and the findings were verified with the personal knowledge and experience of both the researchers and the local and regional people. The results of the inventory record 32 species of dye plants from Northern Peru distributed in 22 families, of which the following stand out due to the number of species: Fabaceae (5), Anacardiaceae (2), Annonaceae (2), Asteraceae (2), Berberidaceae (2), Rosaceae (2), and Solanaceae (2). Of the 32 dye species identified, four are considered endemic from Peru: Berberis buceronis J.F. Macbr., Caesalpinia paipai Ruiz & Pav., Coreopsis senaria S.F. Blake & Sherf., and Lomatia hirsuta (Lam.) Diels. The study also found that species such as Bixa orellana L., Indigofera suffruticosa Mill., Sambucus peruviana, and the lichen Usnea baileyi (Stirton) Zahlbr have not been commercially exploited in Peru despite the fact that they already constitute a great economic source for several countries.

Highlights

Plant and animal domestication has been perhaps the most important development in the rise of human civilization [1]
These explorations gathered facts about the taxonomy, growth habit, altitudinal distribution, methods of propagation, parts of the plant utilized, and color produced from northern Peruvian dye plants
The research identified and inventoried 32 species of dye plants that grow in northern Peru, distributed in 22 families, which can be broken down by number of species into the following groups: Fabaceae (5) and Anacardiaceae (2), Annonaceae (2), Asteraceae (2), Berberidaceae

Summary

Introduction

Plant and animal domestication has been perhaps the most important development in the rise of human civilization [1]. A megadiverse country like Peru has great botanical wealth [4,5] and is home to plants, which contain active coloring substances such as flavonoids, xanthones, quinones, and carotenoids [6,7], among other substances with high potential for use in the textile, cosmetic, and food industries. These have been cultivated and used until now by the local population, and in many regards, surpass artificial dyes Anthropological and archaeological studies and historians and chroniclers have analyzed the use of dyes through time, from the cave paintings of civilizations such as the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, Teotihuacan, Paracas, Tiawanako, and Chavín, as well as in diverse artistic representations in bicolor and polychrome pottery, painted murals, and in textile figures and fragments which demonstrate the use of paints and dyes in ceremonial objects, and in fabric [3].

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