Local botanical knowledge in urban areas of northern Uruguay

Abstract

This work rescues the ethnobotanical heritage of the northernmost region of Uruguay. In this country, ethnobotany has had little development, with scarce studies and scientific publications. The study area includes the departments of: Artigas, Rivera, Tacuarembó and Cerro Largo. Through random sampling, 315 people were interviewed. Among other variables, the data obtained refer to the special uses of the plants. The information was processed in the spreadsheet and listed by means of descriptive statistics techniques. 134 species used were identified, distributed in 57 botanical families. The most frequent families were: Lamiaceae, Asteraceae, Apiaceae and Fabaceae. Conventional medicine is complemented with cultivated plants that have medicinal applications. Nine forms of uses were reported, the infusion proved to be the most used practice. The knowledge related to the properties of plants comes from older people and is transmitted by oral tradition. The methodology can be replicated to other areas of the country.