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Folk Knowledge and Perceptions about the Use of Wild Fruits and Vegetables-Cross-Cultural Knowledge in the Pipli Pahar Reserved Forest of Okara, Pakistan – PubMed Black Hawk Supplements

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Folk Knowledge and Perceptions about the Use of Wild Fruits and Vegetables-Cross-Cultural Knowledge in the Pipli Pahar Reserved Forest of Okara, Pakistan - PubMed

Folk Knowledge and Perceptions about the Use of Wild Fruits and Vegetables-Cross-Cultural Knowledge in the Pipli Pahar Reserved Forest of Okara, Pakistan

Sadia Jabeen et al. Plants (Basel). 2024.

Abstract

Wild fruits and vegetables (WFVs) have been vital to local communities for centuries and make an important contribution to daily life and income. However, traditional knowledge of the use of wild fruits is at risk of being lost due to inadequate documentation. This study aimed to secure this knowledge through intermittent field visits and a semi-structured questionnaire. Using various ethnobotanical data analysis tools and SPSS (IBM 25), this study identified 65 WFV species (52 genera and 29 families). These species, mostly consumed as vegetables (49%) or fruits (43%), were predominantly herbaceous (48%) in wild and semi-wild habitats (67%). 20 WFVs were known to local communities (highest RFC), Phoenix sylvestris stood out as the most utilized species (highest UV). Surprisingly, only 23% of the WFVs were sold at markets. The survey identified 21 unique WFVs that are rarely documented for human consumption in Pakistan (e.g., Ehretia obtusifolia, Euploca strigosa, Brassica juncea, Cleome brachycarpa, Gymnosporia royleana, Cucumis maderaspatanus, Croton bonplandianus, Euphorbia prostrata, Vachellia nilotica, Pongamia pinnata, Grewia asiatica, Malvastrum coromandelianum, Morus serrata, Argemone mexicana, Bambusa vulgaris, Echinochloa colonum, Solanum virginianum, Physalis angulata, Withania somnifera, Zygophyllum creticum, and Peganum harmala), as well as 14 novel uses and five novel edible parts. Despite their ecological importance, the use of WFVs has declined because local people are unaware of their cultural and economic value. Preservation of traditional knowledge through education on conservation and utilization could boost economies and livelihoods in this and similar areas worldwide.

Keywords: Pakistan; cross-cultural knowledge; cross-regional differences; traditional ecology praxis; wild fruits and vegetables (WFVs).

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors undoubtedly declared that they have no conflicting interest.

Figures

**Figure 1**

Chord diagram showing the species and type of utilization of wild fruits and vegetables from Pipli Pahar Reserved Forest in Okara, Pakistan. The full names of the species are listed in Table A1 in Appendix A.

**Figure 2**

Chord diagram of utilized parts of wild fruits and vegetables from Pipli Pahar Reserved Forest in Okara, Pakistan. The complete names of the species are given in Table 2.

**Figure 3**

Biplot analysis of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) illustrating the predominant recipes of different plant species in Pipli Pahar Reserved Forest of Okara, Pakistan.

**Figure 4**

Biplot analysis of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) illustrating the prevalent diseases treated with different plant species in Pipli Pahar Reserved Forest of Okara, Pakistan.

**Figure 5**

Venn diagram representing unique and common plant species among different categories.

**Figure 6**

A pictorial representation of some typical WFVs in the studied area of Pipli Pahar where (A) *Argemone mexicana* L., (B) *Croton bonplandianus* Baill., (C) *Ehretia obtusifolia* Hochst. ex ADC., (D) *Euploca strigosa* (Willd.) Diane & Hilger, (E) *Cleome brachycarpa* Vahl ex DC., (F) *Brassica juncea* (L.) Czern., (G) *Gymnosporia royleana* Wall.ex M.A. Lawson, (H) *Cucumis maderaspatanus* L., (I) *Euphorbia prostrata* Aiton, (J) *Grewia asiatica* L., (K) *Bambusa vulgaris* Schrad. ex J.C.Wendl., (L) *Pongamia pinnata* (L.), (M) *Vachellia nilotica*, (L.) P.J.H.Hurter & Mabb., (N) *Echinochloa colonum* (L.) Link, (O) *Morus serrata* Roxb. (P) *Withania somnifera* (L.) Dunal, (Q) *Physalis angulata* L., (R) Solanum virginianum L., (S) *Zygophyllum creticum* (L.) Christenh. & Byng, (T) *Peganum harmala* L., and (U) *Malvastrum coromandelianum* (L.). (These are original photographs, Jabeen 2022).

**Figure 7**

Map of the study area Pipli Pahar reserved forest.

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Folk Knowledge and Perceptions about the Use of Wild Fruits and Vegetables-Cross-Cultural Knowledge in the Pipli Pahar Reserved Forest of Okara, Pakistan – PubMed