Description
ETHNOBOTANY an Introduction
Syllabus
ANT 393 (30630) Brian Stross Spring 2008
Wednesday 7-10pm EPS 1.128
Office Hours TTH 11:30-12:30 EPS 2.204
(film scheduling may be modified during the semester)
Ethnobotany, an interdisciplinary field, studies the relationships between humans and
plants. It is not simply the study of plants that are useful to humans, but rather includes
the placement of plants within their total cultural context in particular
societies, and also
the placement of peoples within the ecological contexts that include their plant friends,
neighbors, and adversaries. It includes the ways that humans perceive the different kinds
of plants, the ways they classify plants, the things they do to plants (such as destroying
"weeds", protecting certain "wild" plants, and "domesticating" and planting specific kinds
of food and medicinal plants), and the ways in which various members of the plant world
influence humans and their lifeways. This course proposes to introduce the student to
such general topics as systems of plant classification and nomenclature, plants and
archeaology, plant cultivation, food plants, medicinal plants, entheogenic plants and
divination, plants in cosmology and religion, plants in construction and furniture, plants
in clothing and ornament, plants in discourse, plants and the question of pre-Columbian
contacts, and the impact of humans on plants (including forest management). These
topics will be explored in a seminar format and often exemplified from a perspective of
indigenous Mesoamerican communities. No knowledge of botany, geography,
pharmacology, or anthropology is presupposed or required for participation in this
seminar.
TEXTS Required: Paul E. Minnis (Ed.) 2000. Ethnobotany:
A Reader.
U. of Oklahoma Press [PEM]
Pollan, Michael 2001. The Botany of Desire. [BOD]
Recommended (no assignments given in these):
Michael
J. Balick, Paul A. Cox 1997. Plants,
People and
Culture : The Science of Ethnobotany, a Scientific
American Library Book (Paperback Textbook, 1997)
Nabhan, Gary 2004. Some Like it Hot. Island Press
ISBN 1-59726-091-6
Richard Evans
Schultes & Siri von Reis 1995. Ethnobotany:
Evolution of a Discipline. Dioscorides Press/Timber Press [RES] GN 476.73 E84 1995 PCL Stacks
Beryl Simpson and Olga Conner-Ogorzaly 1986, 1994, or 2000.
Economic
Botany: Plants in Our World.
Anthony Huxley. 1974. Plant and Planet. Viking Press. [AH]
Herbert G. Baker. 1970. Plants and Civilization.
Wadsworth [HB]
Requirements: Each student will be expected to write a
brief research paper
(up to 20 pages) or a grant proposal for an original project on some aspect of
ethnobotany (10
pages or more), and to make a brief oral
presentation of the research or proposal to the class. The final written version of this project
will be due on the last day of class.
Keep up with weekly reading assignments, class participation including presentation of small topical
research projects (using only the internet).
This semester I would like
to suggest a number of topics for discussion that we might find profitable to
explore in trying to understand the breadth and depth of the topic of Ethnobotany. Please come to class prepared to discuss the topics of the
week. One person will take the role of
facilitator each week, and will help facilitate the discussion both of the
current topic and of the assigned homework).
Notebook/Journal - I would like all participants to keep a running record or journal of insights, thoughts, and general notes about ethnobotany that occur in the course of the semester. I expect you to share some of your observations during class time discussions in a kind of show and tell - such observations will be part of the notebook).
Internet - It will be useful for all of us to explore the internet for sites dealing with ethnobotany, keeping a record (with brief annotation of content) of URLs that have useful information whether in the form of databases, articles, pictures, or other. We can share these by e-mail.
A typical class will involve
1. a short introduction to the day's topic by the lecturer.
2. a short film presentation
3. seminar discussion of the film and its implications for ethnobotany & the day's topic
4. show & tell - each week each person will pick a plant to do an internet search on, and
to share
5. discussion of the homework assigned
6. seminar discussion of the day's topic -
WEEKS
WEEK 1 INTRODUCTION 1/16
what is botany, what is ethnobotany, economic botany, cultural
botany, comparative ethnobotanical studies (plant domestication,
cultivation, origins of agriculture ( 2, 3, 6, ) (old world, new world),
weeds, living abroad, seeing the other
PLANTS
AND FORENSICS (e.g. the palo
verde pod in the
pickup truck – DNA from seeds found in pickup truck bed
convicts murderer in Phoenix,
AZ.; coprolite analysis to see what
people ate;
Hussein's
dates (provide evidence that his capture
was staged);
Apatzingan maize found in jar in tomb;
Rio Azul – chocolate found in drinking vessel)
Short film on the Mayo of Sonora, Mexico and their use of plants
Homework: For Week 2, pick a society (or linguistic group) anywhere
in the world, and search on the internet for botanical and ethnobotanical
information relating to that group. Select material from the search and
be prepared to share it by oral presentation in class (2-5 minutes—this
kind of show & tell, or expo from journal will be a regular part of each
week); Read [PEM] Minis, Introduction; Fowler, Ethnoecology: an introduction; Seri Cactus Stones (url e-mail);
Optional: [RES] Part 1 (23-74); Huxley Chs. 1-2 (The Planet Sharers,
The Ways of Change); M. Walter Pesman Meet Flora Mexicana.
(G. Lawrence, An Introduction to Plant Taxonomy); [HB] Ch. 2;
Barthel, Mourning and consolation:… (handout); Bowles, Notes
On a floral form represented in
Maya Art and its Iconographic Implications (handout). Heather Miller Coyle Forensic Botany: Principles and
Applications to Criminal Casework (2004).
http://myweb.dal.ca/jvandomm/forensicbotany/ ,
http://myweb.dal.ca/jvandomm/forensicbotany/citations.html (bib),
http://www.crimeandclues.com/pollen.htm
WEEK 2 PALEOBOTANY, ARCHAEO-ETHNOBOTANY 1/23 Janis
phytoliths, palynalysis, microcolonial fungi, identification of plants from codices and
inscriptions; iconography and glyphs.
Short Film: SOL - Garlic
Homework: Read for Week 3: Zarger, Botanical Knowledge (e-mail url);
Pollan, Introduction, Ch.2 (Tulips)
Optional: [RES] Part 10 (391-405), Part 3 (93-130); Deborah Pearsall
2000 Paleoethnobotany (second edition); Nina Etkin (ed.)1994.
Eating on the Wild Side (chapters 10, 11);
WEEK 3 FIELD WORK AND ELICITATION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES 1/30 Deborah
field collections, plant press, plant trail identifications, oral narratives
(folktales, origin myths, legends), other discourse genres
(e.g. counting out formulae – e.g. one potato, two potato…)
ACQUISITION OF PLANT KNOWLEDGE by children, by adults
by
botanists and anthropologists
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS - rainforest
plants ,
bitter remedies, biodiversity and intellectual
property
(free downloadable book)
Short Film : SOL - Chilies
Homework: Read for week 4: [PEM] Ch. 10, 11
Optional: [Lipp in RES]); Zarger ("Botanical Knowledge");Stross
(1973 "Acquisition of Botanical Terminology by
Tzeltal Children");
J. Dougherty 1979 ("Learning names for plants and plants for names"
Anthropological Linguistics 21:298-31);
WEEK 4 BOTANY [western] 2/6 Jason
(western concepts: scientific and folk nomenclature; keys)
Linnaean Plant Classification, Plant taxonomy (a course).
History of Systematic botany,
Methods in the study of plant evolution,
kingdom, division, class, order, family, genus, species, variety
Monera - kingdom (bacteria)
Protista kingdom (protozoa, algae, slime molds),
Fungi kingdom (fungus, breadmolds & yeasts),
Plantae - kingdom (plants)
bryophytes [mosses & liverworts],
ferns [ferns & horsetails],
gymnosperms [conifers, cycads, ginkgo],
angiosperms [flowering plants]
Evolutionary adaptations of plants. Leaves, stems, roots, nutrients,
photosynthesis (p2), cell structure, plant tissues,
respiration, mitosis & meiosis, ecology & ecosystem
Plant Identification - keys, vocabulary, glossary
Plant specimen collection and preservation
Short Film: SOL Cloves
Homework: Read for Week 5, [PEM] Part 2 (65-142);
Frake "Ethnographic study of cognitive systems" in S. Tyler [ed.]
Cognitive Anthropology; Roy Ellen "Putting plants in their place"
(see ethnobotany link in week 1 of syllabus)
Optional: Breedlove and Laughlin, The Flowering of Man;
Huxley Ch. 3, 4 (From Cell To Tree, The final Flowering);
V. Schlesinger Animals & Plants of The Ancient Maya;
WEEK
5 SYSTEMS OF CLASSIFICATION AND NOMENCLATURE 2/13 Naya
(naming and classifying - non-western concepts)
Short film: Private Life of Plants 1 (traveling)
Homework: For Week 6, read: PEM Part One, Chs 1, 2, 3 and Ch 14;
Alcorn (TBA)
Optional: Berlin, Brent. 1973. "Folk systematics in relation to
biological
classification and nomenclature." Ann. Rev. Ecol.
Syst. 4:
259-271; Berlin, Brent et al.1992. Ethnobiological
Classification:
Principles of Categorization of Plants and
Animals in
Traditional Science; W.J. Stearns, Stearns
Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners;
Huxley, Chs. 8, 9 (Eccentric and Bizarre, The Flower);
Berlin et. al, Principles of Tzeltal Plant Classification (ch. 1-6).
WEEK 6 STAGES OF PLANT GROWTH 2/20 Janis
(life cycles of plants - maize, beans, and squash;
forest fires; calendar cycles; intercropping)
PLANTS AND WEATHER, PLANTS AND
THE MOON -
FOREST MANAGEMENT – the notion of climax forest; cleared
earth and weeds;
CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT –
Short Film: Private Life of Plants 2 (putting down roots)
Homework: For week 7 Prepare for the topic by using the internet
to research native vs. introduced plants, pre-Columbian plant contacts.
Optional: R.B. Yepson Jr. (ed.) 1976. Organic Plant
Protection. Rodale Press; Huxley, Chs. 5, 6, 7 (The
Great Invention, Nature the Engineer, The Power Station),
Huxley, Ch 10 (Growth and Rhythm)
WEEK 7 PLANTS AND PRE-COLUMBIAN CONTACTS 2/27 Nicola
new world plants (vs. old world plants) Mesoamerican flora,
Vavilov (plant origins and dispersal)
NATIVE vs INTRODUCED plants
(cacti / Euphorbiacae, Bromeliacae), bromeliad in Africa (Pitcairnia),
prickly pear in middle east (Opuntia)?, sweet potato, coconut, cotton.
Short Film: Private Life of Plants 3 ( Flowering )
Homework: for Week 8, read: A. McDonald 2002. "Botanical
determination of the
Middle Eastern Tree of Life." Economic
Botany 56:113-129; Stross copal ;
Optional: Riley, Kelley, Pennington, and Rands
(eds.) Man Across
the Sea: Problems of Precolumbian Contacts. Section III pp.
309-444. V. Schlesinger 2002. Animals & Plants of the Ancient
Maya:
A Guide. [HB] Ch. 4; Balick and Cox pp. 141-143.
WEEK 8 PLANTS IN RELIGION 3/5 Naya
religious usage (divination, shamanistic curing [tobacco]); talking plants;
plant offerings to deity (incense, including frankincense, myrrh, copal);
rubber ball
game in Mesoamerica (Castilla elastica & Ipomoea
alba); sacred and symbolic plants (hoja santa, Plumeria); decoration of
altars, doorways, and crosses (bromeliads); plants in creation narratives;
plants for death (marigold ladder to heaven), birth, other life crisis rituals;
souls (maize spirit is a little girl w/ bloody nose). [CHR corn god, bean
goddess. Plants as axis mundi (date palm, maize, ceiba)]
PLANTS IN ART AND ARCHITECTURE e.g. murals, sculpture,
codices, buildings, indoor plants for decoration and air freshening, etc.
Short Film: Private Life of Plants 4 (Plant Politics)
Homework: for week 9, read: Pollan, Ch. 3
Optional: [RES] (131-146); Michael F. Brown, Tsewa's Gift
pp. 88-132 (Peruvian Amazon); Huxley Ch. 12 (Do Plants Feel);
Stross: 1996 "The Cosmic Portal in Mesoamerica: an Early
Zapotec Example" RES: Anthropology and Aesthetics 29/30:82‑101.
(Spring break 3/10-15)
WEEK 9 ENTHEOGENS 3/19 Jason
Entheogens / Psychoactive plants (identifications;
soma as mushroom, soma as lotus; ololiuhqui) , peyote,
mushrooms (Amanita muscaria, Psilocybe),
tobacco, ayahuasca,
water lily (Nymphaea), Salvia divinorum (also S. divinorum), Datura,
Datura links,
sinicuichi (Heimia salicifolia), beach beans (Canavalia
maritima), axocatzin (Sida acuta)
Gordon Wasson (on peyote, mushrooms, tobacco and Ololiuhqui)
Short Film: The Shaman’s Apprentice?
Homework: for Week 10, read: [PEM] Part 3, Introduction, & Chs. 7, 8;
Optional: [RES] (343-361, 369-384, 385-392); E.F. Anderson, Peyote:
the Divine Cactus; D.L. Spess, Soma: The Divine Hallucinogen.
Ralph Metzner (ed), Sacred Vine of Spirits: Ayahuasca;
Ralph Metzner (ed), Sacred Mushroom of Visions: Teonanacatl;
Peter Furst (ed),
Flesh of the Gods; (Chris Kilham
2001. Psyche Delicacies.)
Optional
Resource: Jonathan Ott, Pharmacotheon:
Entheogenic Drugs,
Their Plant
Sources and History. Christian Ratsch,
The Encyclopedia
Of Psychoactive Plants.
WEEK 10 CURING WITH PLANTS 3/26 Laura
Curing
by divination with plants (for cause and cure)
Curing by use of plants/herbs with pharmacological properties
(Herbweb); Curing by use of plants with symbolic properties
(for sweeping, baths, wearing)
Short Film:
Homework, for Week 11, read: Pollan, Chs 1 & 4 (apples, potatoes)
[PEM] , Part Four, Agriculture: An Introduction; Stross, Maize.
Optional: [RES] (289-342, 362-368); [HB] Ch. 13:
N. Etkin 1994. EatingOn the Wild Side Chs. 2, 8, 9, 12;
S. Orellana, Indian Medicine in Highland Guatemala;
V. Vogel, American Indian Medicine; J. Wilbert,
Tobacco and Shamanism in South America.
Herbalgram 27 (Special Issue—New World Medicinal Plants)
Herbalgram
34:44-55 ("Medicinal Plants of the Tarahumara");
22-27 + ("Ma Huang: Ancient Herb, Modern Medicine,
Regulatory
Dilemma"); L. Bremness, Herbs; Joie
Davidow,
Infusions
of Healing: A Treasury of
Mexican-American
Herbal Remedies. A. DeStefano 2001. Latino Folk Medicine;
Heinerman, New Encyuclopedia of Fruits and Vegetables.
Parker Publishing
Co.Van Wyk & Wink, Medicinal Plants of
the World
WEEK 11 FOOD PLANTS 4/2 Deborah
plant domestication (wild / domesticated distinction, wild useful
[protected, unprotected]; old world vs. new world food plants);
agriculture (the milpa:
maize, beans, squash), interplanting,
companion planting; mixed planting/cropping.
grains (maize, wheat, barley), seeds, nuts,
Short Film: The Future of Food SOL Allspice
Homework: for Week 12 read: [PEM] Chs. 9-13; Nabhan Chs 1-4
Optional: [RES] ; [HB] Ch. 1; Sophie Coe, America's First Cuisines (ch. 1-9); N. Foster & L. Cordell, Chilies to Chocolate; J.N. Cole, 1979.
GENETICALLY MODIFIED PLANTS
WEEK 12 FOOD PLANTS 4/9 Laura
(vegetables, horticulture, edible "weeds" (Portulaca oleracea - verdolaga),
famine foods (Oxalis, Brosimum alicastrum, Dioscorea),
fruits Morton's fruits of warm climates link ; (black zapote;
matasano; chicozapote); perceptions about food plants;
Short Film SOL
Cinnamon
FLAVORINGS, CONDIMENTS, AND SWEETENERS (spices)
(culantro)
Homework: for week 13 read: Nabhan Chs 5-8; Vanilla - Bruman
Optional: Cole, Amaranth: From the Past, For the Future. Rodale Press.;
[HB] Ch. 5, 6;
WEEK 13 DRINK PLANTS 4/16 Nicola
classification (e.g. medicinal, food beverage, alcoholic); herbal
teas, coffee, cacao, maize (atole,
pozole, pinole, popo), juices,
licuados, alcoholic beverages – agave (pulque, mescal, tequila),
honey beer (balché), sprouted maize beer (tesgüino, sugiki),
pineapple beer (tepache), plums (wine), pitahaya (wine),
cornstalk (beer), sugar cane (beer, rum), grapes (wine).
DRINK ADDITIVES: yam (popo), chocolate
(popo),
Acacia angustissima (bark fermenter catalyst - pulque),
Lonchocarpus
longistylus/violaceus (mild euphoric, alcohol potentiator - balché)
Short Film: Private Life of Plants 5 (Living Together); or
SOL Mustard
Optional: Bruman, Alcohol in Ancient Mexico. Herbalgram 37:50-55
(Chocolate: Past, Present and Future of Cacao);
Herbalgram 37:33-40 (Rediscovering Tea);
[HB]
Ch. 9, 10;
WEEK 14 PLANTS FOR CLOTHING (fiber, leaves) 4/23 Jamie
palms, reeds, agave, cotton,
PLANTS FOR ORNAMENT (seeds, flowers)
coral bean
[tzompantle], hibiscus
Short Film: Private Life of
Plants 6 (It's a Jungle Out there)
Optional: Herbalgram 29:26-33;
WEEK 15 PLANTS FOR HOUSING, HEATING, and LIGHTING
(lumber, tying fiber, firewood, living fences, baskets, cradles)
PLANTS FOR FORAGE, TANNING, TOOLS, GUMS and
RESINS.
PLANTS FOR CONTAINING, WRAPPING, WIPING,
and SWEEPING. (twine, cord, rope, baskets, brooms)
PLANTS FOR SOAP, DYES,
Film: Secret Life of Plants
Readings: [PEM] Ch 2 ; [HB] Ch. 3, 7, 12, 14;
Optional:
MESOAMERICAN ETHNOBOTANICAL RESOURCES:
Alcorn, Janis
1984 Huastec Maya Ethnobotany. (San Luis Potosí, Mexico)
F 1221 H8 A42 1984 Benson Latin American Collection
F 1221 H8 A42 1984 Life Science
Library
GN 476.73 A42 1984 Center for American History TXC-ZZ
Berlin, Brent, Breedlove,
Dennis and P.H. Raven 1974. Principles of Tzeltal
plant classification: an
introduction to the botanical ethnography
of a Mayan-speaking people of highland Chiapas. (Chiapas,
Mexico)
F 1221 T8 B47 Benson Latin American Collection
F 1221 T8 B47 Benson Latin American Collection
Breedlove, Dennis and Robert Laughlin 1999.
The Flowering of Man: Botany of
Zinacantán. (Chiapas, Mexico) F 1221 T9 B733 1993 V.2 Benson
Latin American Collection GN 1 S54 NO.35 PT.1 PCL Stacks
Bruman, Henry. 2000. Alcohol in Ancient Mexico. University of Utah Press.
Clark, Phil. 1972. A
Flower Lover's Guide to Mexico. Minutiae Mexicana.
Davidow,
Joie. 1999. Infusions of Healing: A Treasury of Mexican-American Herbal
Remedies.
Ebeling, Walter 1986. Handbook of Indian Foods and Fibers of Arid America.
E 78 W5 E34 1986 PCL Stacks
E 78 W5 E34 1986 Benson Latin American Collection
Felger, Richard S. 1985.
People of the Desert and Sea
: Ethnobotany of the Seri Indians.
(Sonora, Mexico) F 1221 S43 F45 1985 Benson Latin American
Collection (F 1221 S43 F45 1985 Life Science Library)
González,
Roberto J. 2001. Zapotec Science: Farming and Food in the Northern
Sierra of Oaxaca. University of Texas Press.
Heffern,
Richard. 1974. Secrets of the Mind-Altering Plants of
Mexico. Pyramid
Books.
McAndrews Gina Marie. 1995. Utilization of Medicinal Plant Species in the Zapotec
Community of Yatzachi el Bajo, Oaxaca, Mexico. Unpublished MA
Thesis, Iowa State University. See at:
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~rjsalvad/gmthesis.html
Orellana,
Sandra L. 1987. Indian Medicine in Highland Guatemala:
the Pre-Hispanic
and Colonial Periods. (Highland Guatemala)
F 1435.3 M4 O74 1987 Benson Latin American Collection
Pesman, M. Walter
1962. Meet Flora Mexicana.
Reko, Blas Pablo 1945. Mitobotanica Zapoteca. (Oaxaca, Mexico)
G580.144 R279M Benson Latin American Collection
Roys, Ralph L. 1931, 1976. The Ethno-Botany of the Maya. (Yucatan, Mexico)
F 1435.3 M4 R7 1976 Benson Latin
American Collection
F 1435.3 M4 R7 1976 Life Science Library
Schlesinger, Victoria. 2001. Animals & Plants of the Ancient Maya: A Guide. U.T. Press.
Tapia, Fermin 1978-80. Etnobotanica de los Amuzgos. 2 vols. Centro de Investigaciones
Superiores del INAH Cuadernos de la Casa Chata. 14, 28 .
Contents: pt. 1. Los Arboles -- pt. 2. Los
bejucos, zacates, yerbas y otras
plantas. (Guerrero, Mexico)
F 1221 A58
T36 1978 Benson Latin American Collection
Weiss, Janna 1998. Diagnostic concepts and medicinal plant use of the Chatino
(Oaxaca, Mexico) with a comparison of Chinese medicine. (U.T. doctoral
Dissertation
- Diss 1998 W436 PCL at Periodicals
Desk; Digital version accessible at: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/utexas/main)
Williams Linera, Maria Guadalupe. 1980.
Estudio Etnobotanico de Algunas plantas
Rituales Utilizadas por un Curandero
de Santiago Tuxtla, Veracruz.
F 1219.1 V47 W54 1980 Benson Latin American Collection
ETHNOGRAPHIC RESOURCES
(Mesoamerica)
Carmack, Robert. l98l. The Quiche Mayas of Utatlan
Dow, James 1986. The Shaman's Touch: Otomí Indian Symbolic Healing.
Guiteras-Holmes,
Calixta. 1961. Perils of the Soul: The World View of a
Tzotzil Indian
Kennedy, John G. l978. Tarahumara of the Sierra Madre.
Lipp, Frank 1991. The Mixe of Oaxaca.
Madsen, William. l96O. The Virgin's children: Life in an Aztec Village Today.
McGee,
R. Jon 1990 Life, Ritual and Religion Among the Lacandonn Maya.
Monaghan, John. 1995. The Covenants With Earth and Rain: Exchange,
Sacrifice, and
Revelation in Mixtec Sociality.
Parsons, Elsie Clews.
l936. Mitla: Town of the
Souls.
Pennington, Campbell W. l963. The Tarahumara
of Mexico: TheirEnvironment and
Material
Culture.
Pennington,
Campbell W. 1969. The Tepehuan: Their Material Culture.
Redfield, Robert, and A. Villa Rojas. l934. Chan Kom: A Maya Village.
Sandstrom, Alan R. 1991. Corn Is Our Blood: Culture and Ethnic Identity in
a Contemporary Aztec Indian Village.
Wisdom,
Charles. l94O. The Chorti Indians of Guatemala.
Vogt, Evon Z.
l969. Zinacantán
Vogt,
Evon Z. 1976. Tortillas for the Gods.
INTERNET RESOURCES (BOTANICAL
AND ETHNOBOTANICAL)
University of Texas Plant
Resource Center Flora of Texas Database Search
World
Information Network on Biodiversity – Mexican Flora click on "access to the
information"
Plants of Central
Texas a course
Guide to
Botanical Resources on the Internet
Links to
selected botanical websites
More
links to selected botanical websites
Michael Moore's Southwest
School of Botanical Medicine in Bisbee, AZ
Database of California flora,
including excellent photos
Native
Texas Plants database from LBJ Wildflower Center
Endemic
Texas Plants Checklist (TAMU)
Texas "Useful Wild
Plants" org
Ancient Maya
Botanical Research FAMSI
Economic Botany the journal
Ethnopharmacology International Society for
Ethnopharmacology
Listing
of Useful Plants of the World
Plants for a
Future (Edible Ornamental Plants)
TAMU Vascular
Plant Image Library
MissouriPlants
Species list - images
Wildflowers of Tucson,
AZ - images
DMOZ Open Directory Project - Ethnobotany
Online
Botany Index glossary
terminology w/ links
Gernot
Katzer's Spice Pages - 117 spices, names, history, chemistry
USDA plant
files (example & search)
Urban
Harvest – Food Plants - Vegetables
Intellectual Property Rights:
For information regarding specific case of disputed intellectual
property rights, see URLs below:
http://guallart.dac.uga.edu/ICBGreply.html
Dr. Brent Berlin's defense of Maya ICBG project in Chiapas.
http://guallart.dac.uga.edu/ethics
Further defense of ICBG project: Code of Ethics
http://www.sacredearth.com/ethnobotany/indianvictory.html
Announcement of Maya ICBG project cancellation
FILM RESOURCES
The Private Life of Plants (David Attenborough series
of 6 hour long tapes)
1. Traveling
2. Putting Down Roots - Feeding and Growing
3. Flowering
4. Plant Politics - The Social Struggle
5. Living Together
6. Jungle Out There - Surviving
The Secret Life of Plants
(unreleased film w/
musical score by Stevie Wonder)
Mayo of Sonora (David Yetman's film about the Mayo
ethnobotany) 26 min.
The
Spice of Life Series – traces the history of spices and herbs over the
centuries
Chilies: a Dash of Daring
Cinnamon, the Elegant Addition
Cloves: Natures Little Nails
Curry Around the World
Garlic's Pungent Presence
Herbs: Aromatic Influences
Mustard, the Spice of Nations
Nutmeg, Nature's Perfect Package
Pepper, the Master Spice
Peppercorns, Fresh Ground Flavor
Saffron, Autumn Gold
The Spices of
India
The Shaman's Apprentice - charts ethnobotanist's Mark Plotkin’s discoveries in the Amazon rainforest, and looks at the astonishing ability of native people to manage their environment. 53 min
The Future of Food - Deborah Koons Garcia - about GMOs & the future. 90 min.