Pasado y presente del uso de plantas silvestres con órganos subterráneos de almacenamiento comestibles en Patagonia.

OCHOA, J.; LADIO, A.

Bonplandia

Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste

Año: 2011 vol. 20 p. 265 - 289

0524-0476

The present work is a first approach to the study of the role of edible plants with underground storage organs (PUSO) in Patagonia, from both temporal and spatial perspectives, integrating ethnohistorical and current ethnographic data on the use of PUSO. Of the 54 sources studied, 75% mention the use of wild PUSO for human consumption in Patagonia. There are 51 species of wild edible PUSO registered, the most common group being those with edible roots. The steppe and transition zones present the greatest richness of PUSO, probably because of ecological adaptations associated with drought in the former case, and the relatively high diversity typical of ecotones in the latter. Marked discontinuity of use was revealed by ethnohistorical registers, with few species present for longer than a century. Worthy of special mention are the documented continuity of A. tuberosa from the18th century up to the present time, and the recent incorporation of exotic species. When the ethnohistorical studies reviewed are compared with recent ethnobotanical field studies, dynamic use patterns are suggested, which over time have led to the abandonment of PUSO in alimentary practices in Patagonia. The unusual characteristics found with respect to temporal and spatial factors can be related both to specific local knowledge developed over time by Patagonian inhabitants, and the sociopolitical and academic circumstances of the different literature analysed.