ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Nutrition and Sustainable Diets
Volume 9 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1606420
An ethnobotanical study on wild edible plants in Taishan County, Guangdong, China
Provisionally accepted
- 1College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
- 2Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture Protection and Utilization, Guangdong Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
- 3College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
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Globally, wild edible plants (WEPs) play a critical role in sustaining livelihoods and preserving cultural heritage. This study investigates traditional knowledge of WEPs in Taishan County, Guangdong Province of China, through market surveys, semi-structured interviews (n=162), and participant observation, with the primary objective of sustainable utilization of WEPs and safeguarding their cultural significance. Finally, 131 WEPs belonging to 59 families were identified, which are mainly used as tea substitutes, wild vegetables, and spices. We analysed the diversity of consumed WEPs, documented the utilized plant parts and preparation methods, selected 8 culturally significant species (Portulaca oleracea L., Houttuynia cordata Thunb., Plantago asiatica L., Centella asiatica (L.) Urb., Amaranthus spinosus L., Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton, Hypericum japonicum Thunb. ex Murray, and Eleutherococcus trifoliatus (L.) S. Y. Hu) via the Cultural Food Significance Index (CFSI) analysis, and provided the sustainable utilization strategies. These plants are deeply embedded in local traditions, including medicinal herbal teas, nutritious Cantonese-style soups, and bitter-tasting tonic dishes, embodying the 'Food as Medicine' philosophy. However, this knowledge is now predominantly held by older generations, and threatened by rapid urbanization and youth disengagement. Future research should prioritize strategies to conserve cultural and ecological diversity while incorporating WEPs into contemporary food systems.
Keywords: Wild edible plants(WEPs), Taishan County, Ethnobotany, the Cultural Food Significance Index (CFSI), Traditional knowledge
Received: 05 Apr 2025; Accepted: 27 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, He, Su, Wang, Lin and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Shuangyu Zhang, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
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