Ethnobotany: A Modern Perspective
Edition: 4
Copyright: 2023
Pages: 200
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Ethnobotany: A Modern Perspective focuses on the indigenous plants and their impact on modern society. It discusses more than 260 plants that originated in different parts of the world and how they relate to human lives every day. This comprehensive text is built on the indigenous plants used around the world as food, beverage, medicine, narcotics, shelter, and clothing, along with their applications elsewhere. It refers to each plant by its common name, scientific name, and the family to which it belongs.
Ethnobotany: A Modern Perspective features:
- an introduction to each chapter that ties in real world application.
- summary tables, world maps, and review questions.
- answers for each of the ten, open-ended concept questions given in each chapter.
- a glossary of all botanical terminology used throughout the text.
Ethnobotany: A Modern Perspective:
- is designed for major/non-major courses in Ethnobotany, Plants and Humanities, Plants and People, Cultural Botany, Culinary Botany, or similar courses that focus on plants in human life.
- is student friendly! The text integrates line drawings, terminology, background botanical information, examples, tables or maps or, often both, along with review questions throughout.
- is interactive! A collection of original color photographs of the plants and their products are accessible on an accompanying website
The following features are unique to this textbook:
- Comprehensive coverage on both traditional and modern uses of plants
- A dedicated chapter on Ethnobotany and its applications with highlights on Plants and Health
- Botanical information supported by appropriate terminology and clear writing style
- Colorful photographs and hand-drawn illustrations to bring visual connection to the plants
- Detailed, non-biased information on controversial plants of modern society
- Summary tables and maps that aid in digesting difficult facts
- Boxed information with additional facts that might be of interest to aspiring students
- Numerous tit-bits of supporting information to draw the attention to the subject matter
- Video links to external sources that aim to provide further learning enlightenment
- Review questions at the end of each chapter to help in self-test or content review
Chapter 1 Ethnobotany and Its Applications
Ethnobotany and Economic Botany
Ethnobotanists
Training and Methods
Cultural Wisdom and Current Trends
Plants and Health
Plants in History
Economically Important Plant Families
Most Widely Cultivated Crops
Something to Think About
Chapter 2 Botany In A Nutshell
Angiosperm Plant Structure
Morphology of a Twig
Morphology of a Root
Morphology of a Flower
Angiosperms
Meristems and Plant Growth
Meristems and Derived Tissues
Tissue Systems and Included Tissue Types
Summary of Tissue Organization in Plants
Simple Tissues
Complex Tissues
Secretory Cells
Plant Life Cycle
Botanical Nomenclature
Chapter 3 Vegetables
Stem and Leaf-Derived Vegetables
Hypocotyl Vegetables
Vegetables Derived from Modified Plant Parts
Description of Modifications
Vegetable Derived from Flower Parts
Chapter 4 Fruits
Fleshy Fruits
Dry Fruits
Some Exceptions
Rose Family Fruits
Pome Fruits—Subfamily Maloideae
Apple Facts
Stone Fruits—Subfamily Amygdaloideae
Aggregate Fruits—Subfamily Rosoideae
Dry Fruits—Subfamily Spiraeoideae
Cucurbit Family Fruits
Citrus Family Fruits
Heath Family Fruits
Fig Family Fruits
Pawpaw Family Fruits
Fruits from Other Angiosperm Families
Fruits that are Berries
Fruits That Are Drupes or Drupe-Like
Other Fruits
Fruit or Vegetable?
Fruits That Go “Nuts”
Real Nuts
Drupaceous Nuts
Nuts from the Endocarp of Drupe
Other Exceptional Nuts
Chapter 5 Grains and Legumes
GRASSES
Grass Plant Structure
From the Field to the Pantry
Rice
Wheat
Corn
Oats
Sorghum
Other Edible Grains
Sugarcane
Grains That Are Not “Real” Grains
LEGUMES
Pulses and Lentils
Beans and Peas
Peanut
Soybean
Tamarind
Carob
Forage Legumes
Chapter 6 Plant-Derived Beverages
Caffeinated Beverages
Tea
Brief History
Variations in Tea
The Flavor of Tea
Tea Facts
Coffee
Brief History
Coffee Plants
Coffee Processing
Roasting
Variations in Coffee
Coffee Facts
Other Uses of Coffee
Chocolate
Processing
Products of Chocolate
Chocolate Facts
Cola
Lesser Known Beverages
Alcoholic Beverages
Additional Beverages
Chapter 7 Vegetable Oils
Types of Fatty Acids
Oil Extraction Methods
Smoking Points and the Health Connection
Some Well-Known Vegetable Oils
Canola Oil
Corn Oil
Cottonseed Oil
Olive Oil
Peanut Oil
Rice Bran Oil
Safflower Oil
Sesame Oil
Soybean Oil
Sunflower Oil
Coconut Oil
Palm Oil
Castor Oil
Neem Oil
Additional Sources of Oils and Waxes
Chapter 8 Flavor for Our Food
In Search of Aromatic Plants
Spices
Cinnamon
Cloves
Allspice
Pepper
Nutmeg and Mace
Star Anise
Cardamom and Related Plants
Saffron
Vanilla
Chili Pepper
Herbs
Carrot Family (Apiaceae)
Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
Mint Family (Lamiaceae)
Miscellaneous Herbs
Curry Powder
Chapter 9 Plants of Medicinal Value
History of Herbal Medicine
The Phytochemicals
Alkaloids
Glycosides
Plants Used in Traditional and Modern Medicine
Cinchona
Rauwolfia
Catharanthus
Colchicum
Podophyllum
Taxus
Ephedra
Atropa
Hyoscyamus
Digitalis
Salix
Spiraea
Aloe
Carica
Other Plants of Medicinal Value
Chapter 10 Plant Narcotics and Poisons
Classification of Plant Drugs
Plants Often Misused
Marijuana
Opium
Coca
Tobacco
Deadly Nightshade and Related Plants
Lesser Known Plant Drugs
Peyote
Kava
Betel and Areca Nut
Ololiuqui
Khat
Caapi
Poisonous Plants
Chapter 11 Plant Fibers and Wood Products
Anatomy of Fiber and Wood
Fiber
Extraction methods
Surface Fibers
Coconut
Cotton
Cotton Facts
Kapok
Bast Fibers
Jute
Linen
Hemp
Ramie
Hard Fibers
Sisal
Abaca
Wood Fiber and Papermaking
Wood
Characteristics of Wood
Wood Products
Woody Stems
Bamboo
Rani Vajravelu is a member of the teaching faculty at the University of Central Florida Biology department. She is known for her creative and professional efforts that make her classes fun and informative. Her dedication and genuine interest in student learning earned her several teaching excellence awards. Vajravelu’s classroom experience combined with her passion for botany led to the development of this textbook and two new courses, Culinary Botany and Medical Botany, both are currently offered as part of the Biology curriculum at UCF. She is acclaimed for motivating the most uninterested student towards botany. She is proud of the fact that many of her past students have taken up successful careers in the fields related to the plant/health/environment.
Rani Vajravelu is also the author of a children’s story book, The Dog That Didn’t Like Leftovers which she wrote under her pen name Aachi K. Machi, through Archway Publishing Company.