Cristina Mapes

The Collection and Sale of Wild Mushrooms in a Community of Tlaxcala, Mexico

The Collection and Sale of Wild Mushrooms in a Community of Tlaxcala, Mexico. In this paper, we characterize the harvest and sale of wild mushrooms in Javier Mina (Tlaxcala state, Mexico) based on observations made during visits to that community during the rainy seasons of 1995 and 2001. While there, we visited the forests with various families of mushroom gatherers and also carried out 16 visits to a local mushroom broker to obtain information on the buying and selling of the mushrooms, including a list of the prices per kilo of the species that are sold commercially. Boletus cf. pinophilus, Lyophyllum cf. decastes, Hebeloma aff. mesophaeum and the Amanita caesarea complex were the highest–priced species, and were those collected in the greatest amounts. Our observations indicate that the gathering of mushrooms, a traditional activity among the people of Javier Mina, contributes, through the sale of the mushrooms, to the income of the community during the rainy season.AbstractRecolección y venta de hongos silvestres en una comunidad de Tlaxcala, México. Recolección y venta de hongos silvestres en una comunidad de Tlaxcala, México. El objetivo de este trabajo es describir el proceso de recolección y venta de hongos silvestres en Javier Mina, Tlaxcala. Para describir estas actividades se realizaron visitas a los bosques con varias familias recolectoras de hongos durante las épocas de lluvias de 1995 y 2001. Además, se realizaron 16 visitas a un distribuidor local para registrar información con respecto a la compra y venta de los hongos. Se obtuvo un listado de los precios por kilo de los hongos que se comercializan. Boletus cf. pinophilus, Lyophyllum cf. decastes, Hebeloma aff. mesophaeum y Amanita caesarea complex fueron los hongos recolectados en mayor cantidad durante este estudio, mismos que tuvieron los precios más altos de compra–venta. Se concluye que la recolección de hongos es una actividad tradicional para la gente de Javier Mina; sin embargo, la venta de éstos, contribuye a la obtención de ingresos durante la temporada de lluvias.

Patrones en el conocimiento, uso y manejo de plantas en pueblos indígenas de México

Se presenta una sintesis de informacion etnobiologica obtenida entre grupos indigenas de Mexico, analizando tendencias y patrones en las formas de conocer, utilizar y manipular los recursos biologicos. Los sistemas indigenas de nomenclatura y clasificacion de plantas son altamente elaborados y complejos. Aunque en general estos parecen seguir los principios generales de clasificacion folk descubiertos por Brent Berlin y otros autores, se observan algunas categorias taxonomicas y sistemas de nomenclatura estrechamente asociados a las formas de uso de los recursos locales. La subsistencia de las poblaciones indigenas ha estado basada en una estrategia que combina diferentes practicas productivas y que aprovecha una gran diversidad de productos disponibles tanto espacial como temporalmente. Esta estrategia involucra tambien el aprovechamiento integral de un amplio espectro de especies de plantas y variabilidad genetica intraespecifica bajo diferentes niveles de domesticacion.ABSTRACTAn overview of ethnobiological information obtained among Indian peoples of Mexico is presented, analyzing patterns and tendencies in the forms of perceiving, using, and manipulating plant resources. The plant classification folk systems studied are highly complex. Although in general they follow the general principles formulated by Brent Berlin and other scholars, some significant variations are observed. Subsistence has been based on a strategy which combines different productive activities and takes advantage of a wide variety of plant products available both in time and space. This subsistence strategy also involves managing a wide variety of resources under different degrees of domestication by humans.

Ethnobotany of quintonil: Knowledge, use and management of edible greens Amaranthus Spp. (Amaranthaceae) In the Sierra NOrte de Puebla, México

In addition to the seeds consumed as a pseudocereal, amaranths provide important edible greens. In the Sierra Norte de Puebla, Mexico, the management and utilization of amaranths occur within a wide variety of environmental, biological and cultural contexts. This paper presents both the results of ethnobotanical exploration in this region and the comparison of different species and races of amaranths used as greens that were grown in common experimental garden plots in Chalco, Mexico. Ethnobotanical exploration, cultural practices and growth analysis suggests that these plants have been selected for their use as leafy vegetables. The experimental data support the divergence of amaranths used for greens from those used principally for edible seed.ResumenLos amarantos además de proporcionar semillas para su uso como pseudocereal producen hojas comestibles. En la región de la Sierra Norte de Puebla, la utilización y el manejo de los amarantos tiene lugar dentro de una enorme variedad de condiciones ambientales, biológicas y culturales. En este trabajo se presentan los resultados obtenidos a partir de la exploración etnobotánica realizada en la Sierra Norte de Puebla asi como los datos obtenidos a partir de un estudio de análisis de crecimiento llevadp a cabo en Chalco. Estado de México, en donde se comparan diferentes especies y razas de amaranto que se usan a manera de verdura. La exploración etnobotánica, las prácticas culturales y el estudio de análisis de crecimiento sugieren que estas plantas han sido seleccionadas para ser usadas como verdura y que difieren de las que se usan como grano.

Morphophysiological variation in some Mexican species of vegetable Amaranthus: evolutionary tendencies under domestication

SummaryAmaranth (Amaranthus spp.) is an important food resource for indigenous peoples of México. Grain-producing species are mostly cultivated plants, while the species used as vegetables are commonly encouraged in maize plots. Notable biological differences exist between these two types of amaranths. This study analyzes the morphophysiological variation in some Mexican species of Amaranthus and its relationship to the use and management of this taxa. A sample of individuals grown from 14 field collections representing 3 species and putative hybrid derivatives were grown in experimental plots and 18 morphological and physiological characters were measured. A statistical multivariate analysis was performed on these data. The results show that the grain-producing plants tend to allocate a high proportion of energy to the production of inflorescences while the plants used as vegetables allocate a higher proportion of biomass to the foliage. This suggests thatdomestication of Mexican species of Amaranthus have taken two different evolutionary paths depending upon the form of use and management by humans.

Biodiversity and Edible Plants of Mexico

Mexico that stands out as a megadiverse country is the fifth nation in terms of species richness. The country is home to 25,000–30,000 species of plants and currently 7461 useful plants are registered, of which 2168 are edible according to ethnobotanical data base of Mexican useful plants (BADEPLAM). In this chapter, edible plants are divided into six subcategories and describe some of the edible species recorded across different ethnobotanical research conducted in different regions of Mexico. We conclude that although the food habits in the country have undergone drastic changes in recent decades, and not always for the better, numerous food plant resources in Mexico continue to be widely utilized mainly by rural populations.