Ethnobotanical culture of geophytes in Sakarya province, Turkey

Abstract

Background: Limited number of studies have been conducted to determine the ethnobotanical uses of geophytes and to scientifically document traditional knowledge associated with them. Questions: What is the ethnobotanical usage culture of geophytes in Sakarya province? Studied species: Geophytes. Study site and dates: Sakarya, Turkey; 2017 to 2020. Methods: Information in the local community was obtained through face to face or collective interviews. In addition, cultural importance index (CII) and the informant consensus factor (ICF) values were calculated. Results: In this study, the knowledge of the local public about 115 geophytes (107 natural and eight cultivated) belonging to 26 families was revealed. The most common families are Asparagaceae (23 taxa), Iridaceae (20 taxa) and Amaryllidaceae (14 taxa). The most common genera are Crocus (12 taxa), Orchis (7 taxa) and Allium (6 taxa). Out of a total of 115 taxa, 226 uses are reported, including 128 folk remedies, 47 ornamental plants, 48 food and three the other uses. The most widely used plant according to cultural importance index is Leucojum aestivum (Gölsoğanı,  CII: 2.57). Conclusion: Our interviews revealed that the geophytes in the study area are still widely used by people in their daily lives for medicinal, food and floricultural purposes. In addition, the ethnobotanical uses of Crocus speciosus subsp. sakariensis, Crocus keltepensis, Fritillaria bithynica and Muscari pamiryigidii are reported for the first time in Turkey.