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Ethnobotany : principles and applications / C.M. Cotton.

By: Cotton, C. M.
Material type: materialTypeLabelBookPublisher: Chichester ; New York : John Wiley & Sons, [1996]Copyright date: ©1996Description: ix, 424 pages illustrations 24 cm.Content type: text Media type: unmediated Carrier type: volumeISBN: 9780471955375; 047195537X .Subject(s): EthnobotanyDDC classification: 581.61
Contents:
Introduction to ethnobotany -- Plant structures, functions and applications -- Traditional botanical knowledge -- Methods in ethnobotanical study -- Tradional botanical knowledge and subsistence: Wild plant resources -- Traditional botanical knowledge and subsistence: domesticated plants and traditional agriculture -- Plants in material culture -- Traditional phytochemistry -- Understanding traditional plant use and management: Indigenous perceptions of the natural world -- The history of plant-human interaction: Palaeoethnobotanical evidence -- Applied ethnobotany: Commercialisation and conversation -- Applying ethnobotany in sustainable development: practical considerations.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Copy number Status Barcode
General lending MTU Bishopstown Library Lending 581.61 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 00188104
General lending MTU Bishopstown Library Lending 581.61 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 00188103
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Interest in ethnobotany has increased dramatically in recent years. The search for new medicines by the pharmaceutical industry has turned to plant natural products and to ethnobotanical studies as a first step in bioprospecting. These studies are making a valuable contribution to the cataloguing of biological diversity and hence to the conservation of endangered ecosystems and the human societies which depend upon them. Discussing traditional methods of plant management as well as plant use, this textbook is an authoritative and fascinating introduction to this exciting area of plant biology. Citing examples from throughout the world and drawing on a wide range of source materials, the author describes the history of the interactions between plants and people and the concepts, methodology and future direction of ethnobotanical study. Capturing current interest in traditional medicine, as well as the potential for exciting new drug discoveries, Ethnobotany: Principles and Applications is an informative, stimulating and timely text which includes an extensive bibliography.

Bibliography: (pages 375-399) and index.

Introduction to ethnobotany -- Plant structures, functions and applications -- Traditional botanical knowledge -- Methods in ethnobotanical study -- Tradional botanical knowledge and subsistence: Wild plant resources -- Traditional botanical knowledge and subsistence: domesticated plants and traditional agriculture -- Plants in material culture -- Traditional phytochemistry -- Understanding traditional plant use and management: Indigenous perceptions of the natural world -- The history of plant-human interaction: Palaeoethnobotanical evidence -- Applied ethnobotany: Commercialisation and conversation -- Applying ethnobotany in sustainable development: practical considerations.

CIT Module BOTA 8001 - Core reading.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

  • Plant Structures, Functions and Applications
  • Traditional Botanical Knowledge
  • Methods in Ethnobotanical Study
  • Traditional Botanical Knowledge and Subsistence: Wild Plant Resources
  • Traditional Botanical Knowledge and Subsistence: Domesticated Plants and Traditional Agriculture
  • Plants in Material Culture
  • Traditional Phytochemistry
  • Understanding Traditional Plant Use and Management: Indigenous Perceptions of the Natural World
  • The History of Plant-Human Interaction: Palaeoethnobotanical Evidence
  • Applied Ethnobotany: Commercialisation and Conservation
  • Applying Ethnobotany in Sustainable Development: Practical Considerations
  • Bibliography
  • Postscript
  • Index

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Cotton's volume is an excellent introduction to ethnobotany as broadly interpreted. Starting with the history of ethnobotany, the author brings the reader up to the present-day problems of exploiting wild plants and the resulting effects on traditional peoples and the environment. Several chapters discuss in detail the structure of plants and the functions and operations of various parts, the methods of ethnobotanical study, and botanical knowledge of traditional peoples, from wild sources to traditional agriculture. Throughout are numerous, very interesting tables and boxes containing information that elaborates on statements made in the text, but because of their number they tend to interrupt the flow of reading. Extensive bibliography; detailed index. For anyone interested in ethnobotany. General readers; undergraduate and graduate students. C. T. Mason Jr.; emeritus, University of Arizona

Author notes provided by Syndetics

C. M. Cotton is the author of Ethnobotany: Principles and Applications , published by Wiley.