Medicinal, edible and aromatic plants in hedges of a Patagonian city of Argentina: characteristics and potential of a resource little explored

Abstract

Urban hedges have a significant role to be reservoirs of biodiversity and socio-economic functions that it can sustain. In Bariloche (Río Negro, Patagonia Argentina) we studied 300 family hedges, the richness of woody components, their medicinal and edible uses, presence of aromaticity, as well as their availability in local stores. The hedges are composed of 86 species, among these the most common are the exotics: Cytisus scoparius, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Cupressus macrocarpa y Rosa sp., and the natives: Chusquea culeou and Nothofagus antarctica. 73% of these one are medicinal, 59% are edible and 33% are aromatic plants. Only 24% of the species are available in shops of the city dedicated to the sale of food and/or herbal products. We conclude that the hedges of Bariloche have a high potential for supplementation, dietary diversification, and treatment of minor ailments of the local people.