CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

This paper presents results of a study on the presence of plant complexes in the Mapuche medicinal and edible flora of Patagonia, Argentina. Based on bibliographic revision and field work, ten complexes (composed by native and exotic plants) have been recognized in the region. Each plant complex is only labeled by exotic components. Most of the exotic species are cultivated, with more utilitarian versatility and environmental availability than native plants. However, most of the native components have large use consensus at regional level. Each complex component shares morphological, organoleptic and utilitarian characteristics and in six cases belongs to the same family. Traditional classification system dynamic and their complexity are discussed considering the temporal interaction with exotic elements. We concluded that studied plant complexes are the result of chemo-taxonomic, socio-cultural and environmental factors.