Open AccessEdible wild plants of the Chorote Indians, Gran Chaco, Argentina
Author(s) -
ARENAS PASTOR,
SCARPA GUSTAVO F.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
botanical journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.872
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1095-8339
pISSN - 0024-4074
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2007.00576.x
Subject(s) - ethnobotany , edible plants , ethnic group , biology , plant species , consumption (sociology) , vernacular , geography , ethnology , agroforestry , medicinal plants , ecology , anthropology , social science , sociology , linguistics , philosophy
The Chorote Indians are hunter‐gatherers and fishermen from north‐west Argentina and south‐west Paraguay who belong to the Mataco‐Maká linguistic family. Their edible plants are identified by botanical and vernacular names, the parts employed and modes of preparation and consumption. The Chorote people use 57 plant species as a source of food, which they consume in 118 different ways. Five new edible species, that yield seven plant foods, are reported here for the first time for Chaquenian ethnic groups. However, only a few wild plant foods are in frequent use today, with most being used occasionally, infrequently or not at all. A cross‐cultural comparison with four neighbouring ethnic groups reveals that one third of their plant foods are exclusive to the Chorote people, despite the fact that they share most of their edible plants with the other groups. This article is the first contribution to an understanding of the Chorote’s ethnobotany and to a comparison of interethnic relationships concerning their edible plant resources. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 153 , 73–85.