Using Ellenberg-Pignatti values to estimate habitat preferences of wild food and medicinal plants

An example from northeastern Istria (Croatia)

Bibliographic Data

ID4668689
AuthorsIvana Vitasović Kosić (0000-0001-9372-5892, University of Zagreb), Josip Juračak (0000-0002-7745-2019, University of Zagreb), Łukasz Łuczaj (0000-0001-5272-4826, Rzeszów University, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume13
Issue1
Pages31-31
Publication date2017-12-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1746-4269 • E-ISSN: 1746-4269
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1186/s13002-017-0159-6
PMID28577572
OpenAlexW2620762675
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited27

BACKGROUND: The paper presents the first ethnobotanical application of Ellenberg indicator values, which are widely used in European plant ecology. The aim of the study was to find out if Ellenberg values (indicating habitat preferences) differ for wild food and medicinal plants used in north-eastern Istria (Croatia). We used Ellenberg-Pignatti values (the version of Ellenberg values used in this part of Europe). METHODS: Fifty semi-structured interviews were carried out among local key informants, asking which wild food and medicinal plants they used. RESULTS: The mean number of food and medicinal plants mentioned per interview was 30. Altogether, 121 species were recorded as food or medicine used or previously used in the study area. Thirty-one species are used exclusively as food or everyday drink, 50 species are used exclusively as medicine and 40 species are used for both food and medicine. There were no significant differences between Ellenberg values for food and medicinal plants, apart from the Nitrogen indicator value - the plants used exclusively as food had a significantly higher index than those used in medicine. This probably stems from the fact that plants with soft fleshy shoots are attractive as food and they are more likely to come from nitrogen-rich ruderal habitats. CONCLUSIONS: Food plants and medicinal plants are collected from a variety of habitats and no clear difference between the two categories of plants was detected, however further testing of Ellenberg values in ethnobotanical studies could be interesting

Agroforestry · Biodiversity · Biology · Geography · Habitat · Indicator value · Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies · Ethnobotanical and Medicinal Plants Studies · Plant and animal studies · Plant Ecology and Taxonomy Studies · Socioeconomics of Resources and Conservation · Species Distribution and Climate Change · Ecology

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