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Ethnobotany and Botany in the Euro-Mediterranean Region
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Ethnobotany and Botany in the Euro-Mediterranean Region

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2025 | Viewed by 2078

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Riccardo Motti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Naples, Italy
Interests: botany; floras; alien species invasions; biodeterioration of historical and archaeological buildings; ethnobotany; iconographic analysis of artistic representations of natural elements in archaeological remains and artifacts of the Mediterranean region
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Euro-Mediterranean region, a biodiversity hotspot, is an ecological and cultural nexus connecting Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. This Special Issue aims to explore the dynamic interactions between plants, cultures, and ecosystems in this species-rich and diverse area. Covering both botanical research and traditional ethnobotanical knowledge, it emphasizes the ecological understanding and historical significance of plant use, conservation, and cultural practices across the region.

This Special Issue also underscores the critical importance of documenting and preserving traditional knowledge in the face of urbanization, globalization, and environmental pressures. Contributions (original research papers, perspectives, hypotheses, opinions, and reviews) on topics such as floristic knowledge, vegetation characteristics, taxonomy, the conservation of wild and cultivated species, the impacts of climate change on flora and vegetation, and the traditional uses of medicinal and edible plants are most welcome.

Prof. Dr. Riccardo Motti
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ethnobotany
  • botany
  • biodiversity
  • Euro-Mediterranean

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3985 KiB  
Article
The Role of Stone Materials, Environmental Factors, and Management Practices in Vascular Plant-Induced Deterioration: Case Studies from Pompeii, Herculaneum, Paestum, and Velia Archaeological Parks (Italy)
by Alessia Cozzolino, Giuliano Bonanomi and Riccardo Motti
Plants 2025, 14(4), 514; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14040514 - 8 Feb 2025
Viewed by 654
Abstract
The biodeterioration process involves the alteration of stone monuments by living organisms, such as bacteria, algae, fungi, lichens, mosses, ferns, and vascular plants, combined with abiotic factors, resulting in physical and chemical damage to historic buildings. This study aims to investigate the role [...] Read more.
The biodeterioration process involves the alteration of stone monuments by living organisms, such as bacteria, algae, fungi, lichens, mosses, ferns, and vascular plants, combined with abiotic factors, resulting in physical and chemical damage to historic buildings. This study aims to investigate the role of the vascular plants affecting four archaeological parks in Campania—Pompeii, Herculaneum, Paestum, and Velia—by analyzing correlations with building materials, exposure, and conservation status. To represent species associations and their coverage percentages at each site, transects of one square meter were employed. The hazard index (HI) was applied to evaluate the impact of the identified biodeteriogens. A total of 117 species were detected across 198 samples collected from the four study sites, with 59 taxa recorded in Pompeii, 56 in Paestum, 41 in Velia, and 36 in Herculaneum. Specifically, Pompeii hosts a predominance of cosmopolitan species (35%) and widely distributed taxa (15%) due to elevated anthropogenic disturbance. Conversely, mediterranean species dominate in Paestum (62%) and Herculaneum (52%), reflecting more stable ecological conditions. Substrate type significantly influences the hazard index, whereas exposure was found to have minimal impact on both the average coverage and the measured hazard index. Future work will focus on developing site-specific conservation strategies that consider substrate properties, vegetation impact, and anthropogenic disturbances to effectively mitigate the biodeterioration risks posed by vascular flora in Italian monumental sites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ethnobotany and Botany in the Euro-Mediterranean Region)
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Review

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14 pages, 596 KiB  
Review
Lords-and-Ladies (Arum) as Food in Eurasia: A Review
by Łukasz Łuczaj and Gizem Emre
Plants 2025, 14(4), 577; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14040577 - 13 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1089
Abstract
(1) Background. Although Arum spp. are toxic in their raw state, they are sometimes used as food within their native ranges. (2) Methods. We review the available literature in order to provide an overview of its use and detoxification procedures worldwide. (3) Results. [...] Read more.
(1) Background. Although Arum spp. are toxic in their raw state, they are sometimes used as food within their native ranges. (2) Methods. We review the available literature in order to provide an overview of its use and detoxification procedures worldwide. (3) Results. The food use of lords-and-ladies was already mentioned by Theophrastus, Dioscorides, Matthioli, Durante, Gerard, and Sirennius. In the references concerning 19th–21st-century use, seven species were identified: A. cyrenaicum, A. discoridis, A. italicum, A. maculatum, A. orientale, A. palaestinum, and A. rupicola. Past or current culinary use of the plant has been recorded in Morocco, Libya, the United Kingdom, the Scilly Islands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Romania, Ukraine (including Crimea), Czechia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, Georgia, Türkiye, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Israel, Iraq, and Iran. (4) In Europe, rhizomes were used, mainly as a famine food. In SW Asia, the aerial parts remain an important element of local cuisine. Several detoxification procedures are used before consumption, such as prolonged boiling, often involving straining the boiled water and lowering the pH with lemon juice, sumac, citric acid, sorrel leaves, or pomegranate juice. (5) Conclusions. Further studies are needed to assess the safety of Arum use and record traditional local recipes in SW Asia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ethnobotany and Botany in the Euro-Mediterranean Region)
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