Traditional use of wild herbs in the area of Brotnjo (Čitluk, BiH)

Abstract

The aim of this work was to determine the most common types of wild plants that are used as food, as tea plants or for some other purposes in the area of Brotnjo (Čitluk, Bosnia and Herzegovina). The research was conducted from April 2022 to April 2023, and traditional knowledge and contemporary use of wild plants in the Brotnjo area were recorded. The results of this research show that the largest number of wild plants are most often used as: raw salads or cooked vegetables (22 species), raw wild fruits (18 species), everyday/or medicinal teas (37 species), herbs (9 species), and 9 species have specific medicinal uses. In the area of Brotnjo, 50 uncultivated plant species divided into 31 families are used as wild vegetables, spices and teas. The most represented families are Lamiaceae (9), Asteraceae (7 species) and Apiaceae (3 species), while other families are less represented. The most abundant wild fruit families are Rosaceae (8) and Moraceae (3). Respondents who were born in the researched area and/or spent most of their life in the researched area participated in this research.

Keywords

• wild plants
• brotnjo
• uncultivated plant species
• wild fruit