Kinds of Edible Flower in Domestic and Overseas Literatures

This study examined the current status of the types of edible flowers used domestically and overseas and the discovery and utilization methods of edible flowers naturally growing in Korea, analyzed the types of edible flowers that have been reported until present in order to seek a development method to strengthen competitiveness in the edible flower industry. Domestic and overseas records contain records of 406 species in 80 families of edible flowers. There were 38 species in 18 families of edible flowers appearing in at least 50% of the records, and per family, the Asteraceae, and per type, the Viola spp. type appeared most frequently. A total of 127 species in 36 families appeared in overseas records. There were 27 species in 15 families of edible flowers appearing in at least 60% of the records, and per family, the Asteraceae, and per type, Borago officinalis, Dianthus spp., Lavandula spp., Tropaeolum majus sp. and Viola spp. appeared most frequently. A total of 381 species in 78 families appeared in domestic records. There were 62 species in 26 families of edible flowers appearing in at least 60% of the records, and per family, the Asteraceae and Lamiaceae appeared most frequently, while per type, Dendranthema spp., Hemerocallis fulva, Rosa spp., Taraxacum platycarpum Dahlst., and Viola spp. appeared most frequently. Thus, in order for the edible flower industry to achieve development in the future, there would be a need to make efforts to expand consumption of edible flowers, such as through discovery of naturally growing flowers, research on production and storage technology, promotional activities and research on its functionality, and development of various processed goods through mass industrialization

Asteraceae · Biology · Botany · Violaceae · Flowering Plant Growth and Cultivation · Horticulture