Plant selection for ethnobotanical uses on the Amalfi Coast (Southern Italy)

Plant selection for ethnobotanical uses on the Amalfi Coast is not primarily driven by phylogeny, according to a study that compared statistical methods using medicinal and non-medicinal plant datasets. The research found that while Lamiaceae was consistently over-used in medicinal contexts across both floras studied, other families like Malvaceae and Poaceae showed inconsistencies depending on the dataset and method used. Regression analysis emerged as the most conservative approach for interpreting results. Additionally, the study revealed a non-random selection of woody species for non-medicinal uses and an under-use of temperate forest plants for medicinal purposes.

Savo, V., Joy, R., Caneva, G., & McClatchey, W. C. (2015). Plant selection for ethnobotanical uses on the Amalfi Coast (Southern Italy). Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-015-0038-y