Traditional knowledge of wild edible plants in Hasankeyf (Batman Province, Turkey)

Hasankeyf is an ancient city located on the shores of the Tigris River in Batman Province, southeast Turkey. The town and some of its surrounding villages will be soon submerged, due to the construction of Ilısu Dam, which will force the residents to move to new settlements. The aim of the present study was to collect and record the traditional knowledge regarding the indigenous wild plants that will be submerged by this flooding. The study was carried out between March 2017 and April 2019. Interviews were conducted with 72 women and 53 men in the town center and 22 rural settlements, with a focus on the five villages that are due to be submerged. Information about a total of 86 wild edible plants belonging to 32 families was recorded. Interviewees reported that these were used as green vegetables (45 taxa), ripe fruits and seeds (25 taxa), seasoning and preservatives (16 taxa), beverages (nine taxa), and children’s snacks (seven taxa). In addition, the data were analyzed on the basis of the cultural importance index to determine the cultural significance of these wild edible plants and the informants’ knowledge about them. Culturally, the most significant species included Mentha longifolia, Polygonum cognatum, Rosa canina, Chenopodium album, Urtica dioica, Amaranthus retroflexus, and Malva neglecta. In addition, the data were compared with relevant data in the ethnobotanical literature of Turkey and its neighboring countries. Several uses mentioned here are documented here for the first time. Our research highlights the importance of wild edible plants in the daily lives of inhabitants and their potential for economic use. The present study also provides information for future archaeobotanical studies in this region

Morfología del fruto del género Pimpinella (Apiaceae) en Turquía

To explore if fruit morphology could aid in taxonomy of the genus Pimpinella L., we have undertaken a study of fruits from 26 Turkish taxa of Pimpinella using light and scanning electron microscopy—SEM—. A great deal of inter and intraspecific variation for both fruit shape and surface was observed. Fruit shapes of Turkish taxa of Pimpinella range from oblong-cylindrical to subglobose and indumentum when present can be strigose, hispid and may include hamate trichomes. Variation in fruit surface is also considerable and allows recognizing nine different ornamentation patterns. However, variation in shape, surface ornamentation and indumentum is not tightly associated since species with similar fruit shapes do not necessarily have similar surface ornamentation. To jointly analyse fruit morphology together with the most commonly used morphological characters of the whole plant and to compare morphological evidence with available phylogenetic hypotheses, a cluster analysis was also performed: the Turkish species of Pimpinella were clustered into two distinct groups, the second one subdivided in another two subgroups.Para comprobar el valor diagnóstico de la morfología del fruto en la taxonomía del género Pimpinella L., hemos estudiado los frutos de 26 táxones mediante microscopía óptica y electrónica de barrido —SEM—. Se ha observado una gran variabilidad inter e intraespecífica en la forma y la superficie del fruto. Las formas del fruto de los táxones turcos de Pimpinella varían de oblongo-cilíndricas a subglobosas, así como el fruto puede ser de estrigoso a híspido y tener a veces tricomas hamosos. La variabilidad de la superficie del fruto también es considerable y permite reconocer nueve patrones de ornamentación diferentes. Sin embargo, las variabilidades de la forma, la ornamentación de la superficie y el indumento no están estrechamente asociadas, ya que las especies con frutos de forma similar no necesariamente tienen una ornamentación similar. Para analizar conjuntamente la morfología del fruto y los caracteres morfológicos más comúnmente utilizados y para comparar la morfológica con las hipótesis filogenéticas disponibles, también se ha realizado un análisis de grupos: las especies turcas de Pimpinella formaron dos grupos y el segundo se subdividió en otros dos

Phytochemical profile and some biological activities of three Centaurea species from Turkey

Purpose: To characterise the phytochemical profile of whole plants of Centaurea balsamita, C. depressa and C. lycopifolia with LC-ESI-MS/MS, and as well as their antioxidant, anticholinesterase and antimicrobial activities.Methods: Organic and aqueous extracts of the three Centaurea species were evaluated for DPPH free radical, ABTS cation radical scavenging and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC). Acetyland butyryl-cholinesterase enzyme inhibition abilities of the extracts using petroleum ether, acetone, methanol and water were studied to determine anticholinesterase activity, while antimicrobial activity was determined by disc diffusion method using appropriate antimicrobial standards and organisms. The phytochemical components of the methanol extracts were assessed by LC-MS/MS.Results: The methanol extract of C. balsamita exhibited much higher DPPH free and ABTS cation radicals scavenging activities (with IC50 of 62.65 ± 0.97 and 24.21 ± 0.70 mg/ml, respectively) than the other extracts. The petroleum ether extracts of the plant species exhibited moderate inhibitory activity against butyrylcholinesterase enzymes while the acetone extract of C. balsamita showed good antifungal activity against Candida albicans. Quinic acid (17513 ± 813 μg/g, 63874 ± 3066 μg/g and 108234 ± 5195 μg/g) was the major compound found in the methanol extracts of C. balsamita, C. depressa and C. Lycopifolia, respectively.Conclusion: These results indicate quinic acid is the major compound in the three plant species and that Centaurea balsamita has significant antioxidant, anticholinesterase and antimicrobial properties. Further studies to identify the compounds in the extracts responsible for the activities are required.Keywords: Centaurea, LC-ESI-MS/MS, Anticholinesterase, Antioxidant, Antimicrobia

Folk medicinal plants in kürecik area (Akçadaǧ/Malatya-Turkey) Kiirecikte (Akçadaǧ/Malatya-tiirkiye) geleneksel olarak kullanılan tıbbi bitkiler

In this study, 47 flowering plant taxa belonging to 19 families that are used as medicine are documented in Kürecik (Akçadaǧ/Malatya). These folk medicinal plants are mostly used for treatment of cold, diabetes, inflamed wound, menstrual and abdominal pain. All settlements in Kürecik township (20 villages) were visited during the field works. The plants that collected with folk medicinal plant user were identified and prepared voucher specimens were kept in the Herbarium of Istanbul University Faculty of Pharmacy (ISTE)