An ethnobotanical study of the useful and edible plants of Izmit

Abstract

An ethnobotanical study was carried out in Izmit province (Northwest Turkey). During this study, 145 specimens were collected from the area. Informations about plants such as their usages and used parts were recorded. The stud y revealed that, 96 plant taxa belonging to 42 families had ethnobotanical usages in this area. Among these 96 plant taxa, 60 taxa (51 wild, 9 cultivated) were used as edibles and 64 taxa (51 wild, 13 cultivated) were used for different purposes. The results of our study show that even in countrys that are situated in close proximity to metropolitan cities, the ethnobotanical usages of plants are still alive.