An Ethnobotanical Field Survey in the Haymana District of Ankara Province in Turkey

Dietary, therapeutical, and other ethnobotanical utilizations of the wild plants grown in Haymana district of Ankara were investigated. Information was collected by face-to-face interviews with 160 individuals in 9 selected sites. The demographic characteristics of the informants were evaluated and cross-relationships with the recorded data were also analyzed by SPSS statistical software. Results of the study show that 83.8% of the informants recognize the utilization of wild plants either as foodstuff or as remedy, while only 16.2% was unaware of that. Both the knowledge and the utilization of plants significantly increased with the increasing age of the informants. However, there was no significant correlation between the knowledge on plants and the educational status of the informants. Altogether 103 utilizations, recorded in the surveyed area, were obtained from 50 plant species belonging to 18 different plant families. Among these utilizations, 67 were therapeutical, while 28 as foodstuff, and 8 for various other ethnobotanical purposes. Those with the highest number of utilized species; Asteraceae (16 species) and Lamiaceae (7 species) were employed for various purposes. In conclusion, despite the close proximity of the Haymana district to a metropolitan center, wild plants are still recognized and utilized by the inhabitants in the countryside either therapeutically or as foodstuff. However, local plant names and uses were found to be different to some extend than those previously reported in the neighboring districts of Ankara, which might be due to the evolving demographics of the local population with migrations from neighboring provinces or from eastern parts of Turkey.

An Ethnobotanical Field Survey in the Haymana District of Ankara Province in Turkey

Dietary, therapeutical, and other ethnobotanical utilizations of the wild plants grown in Haymana district of Ankara were investigated. Information was collected by face-to-face interviews with 160 individuals in 9 selected sites. The demographic characteristics of the informants were evaluated and cross-relationships with the recorded data were also analyzed by SPSS statistical software. Results of the study show that 83.8% of the informants recognize the utilization of wild plants either as foodstuff or as remedy, while only 16.2% was unaware of that. Both the knowledge and the utilization of plants significantly increased with the increasing age of the informants. However, there was no significant correlation between the knowledge on plants and the educational status of the informants. Altogether 103 utilizations, recorded in the surveyed area, were obtained from 50 plant species belonging to 18 different plant families. Among these utilizations, 67 were therapeutical, while 28 as foodstuff, and 8 for various other ethnobotanical purposes. Those with the highest number of utilized species; Asteraceae (16 species) and Lamiaceae (7 species) were employed for various purposes. In conclusion, despite the close proximity of the Haymana district to a metropolitan center, wild plants are still recognized and utilized by the inhabitants in the countryside either therapeutically or as foodstuff. However, local plant names and uses were found to be different to some extend than those previously reported in the neighboring districts of Ankara, which might be due to the evolving demographics of the local population with migrations from neighboring provinces or from eastern parts of Turkey.

___

  • 1. Yesilada E, Sezik E. Phytotherapie in der Türkei. Zeitschrift für Phytotherapie 19: 132-13, 1988.
  • 2. Yesilada E, Sezik E. A Survey on the traditional medicine in Turkey: semi-quantitative evaluation of the results. In: Singh VK, Govil JN, Hashmi S, Singh G. Eds. Recent Progress in Medicinal Plants. Vol.VII. Studium Press, LLC, Pp.389- 412. Houston, Texas, 2003,
  • 3. Yesilada E. Biodiversity in Turkish Folk Medicine. In: Şener B. (ed): Biodiversity: Biomolecular Aspects of Biodiversity and Innovative Utilization. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. Pp.119- 135. London, 2002.
  • 4. Şimşek I, Aytekin F, Yesilada E et al. An ethnobotanical survey in Beypazarı, Ayaş and Güdül towns of Ankara province. Econ Bot 58: 705- 720, 2004.
  • 5. Sezik E, Yesilada E, Honda G et al. Traditional Medicine in Turkey X. Folk Medicine in the Eastern part of Central Anatolia. J Ethnopharmacol 75: 95- 115, 2001.
  • 6. Şimşek I, Aytekin F, Yesilada E et al. A field survey on the utilization purposes and ways of wild plants in Gölbaşı, Ankara. OT Sistematik Botanik Dergisi 8: 105- 120, 2001.
  • 7. Davis PH. Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands. vols. 1- 10. University Press, Edinburgh, 1965-1988.
  • 8. Akaydın G. Doğal Bitkilerimiz. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Yayınları No.148-1, Ankara, 2003
Turkish Journal of Biology-Cover
  • ISSN: 1300-0152
  • Yayın Aralığı: Yılda 6 Sayı
  • Yayıncı: TÜBİTAK
Sayıdaki Diğer Makaleler

Antisalmonella Activity of Selected Medicinal Plants

Chand PASHA, Shaik SAYEED, Md. Sadath ALI, Md. Ziaullah KHAN

The Effect of the Interaction between Genotypes and Drought Stress on the Superoxide Dismutase and Chlorophyll Content in Durum Wheat Landraces

Mohammad ZAEFYZADEH, Rauf Alakbar QULIYEV, Sevda Mashalla BABAYEVA, Mehraj Ali ABBASOV

C-Banded Karyotype and Nucleolar Organizer Regions (NORs) of Wild Boar, Sus scrofa (Artiodactyla: Suidae) from Anatolia

Atilla ARSLAN, İrfan ALBAYRAK

Identification of Lactococcus lactis subsp. Isolates Based on Their Cell Wall Protein Profiles and Plasmid Contents

Mehtap ÜSTÜN, Banu ÖZDEN, Ömer ŞİMŞEK, Mustafa AKÇELİK

An Ethnobotanical Field Survey in the Haymana District of Ankara Province in Turkey

Fulya SARPER, Galip AKAYDIN, Işıl ŞİMŞEK, Erdem YEŞİLADA

The Effects of Oral Administration of an Aqueous Extract of Ficus bengalensis Stem Bark on Some Hematological and Biochemical Parameters in Rats with Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes

Mahalingam GAYATHRI, Krishnan KANNABIRAN

Hormonal Factors of Anti-Mutagenesis Regulation

Mekhtizadeh Emin RZA

Hypoxia Induced Changes in the Lipid Peroxidation, Membrane Permeability, Reactive Oxygen Species Generation, and Antioxidative Response Systems in Zea mays Leaves

Rashid JAMEI, Reza HEIDARI, Jalil KHARA, Samad ZARE

A Cytogenetical Study on Some Plants Taxa in Nizip Region (Aksaray, Turkey)

Meryem ÖZTÜRK, Esra MARTİN, Muhittin DİNÇ, Ahmet DURAN, Ayşe ÖZDEMİR, Özlem ÇETİN

In vitro Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Methanol and Hexane Extract of Astragalus Species Growing in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey

Ahmet ADIGÜZEL, Münevver SÖKMEN, Hakan ÖZKAN, Güleray AĞAR