Edible Verbenaceae from the Americas: A literature review

Abstract

Verbenaceae are a distinctive element from the Americas, and even when there are numerous useful species in the family until now they have not been listed. In line with this, we present the first checklist of Verbenaceae employed for food purposes in the continent. Seventy two bibliographical sources mentioning at least one edible Verbenaceae were selected from more than 500 references analyzed; as a result, 46 edible species have been registered. The family stands in the Americas regarding the use of aromatic plants. In fact, ca. 40% of the edible species are employed because of their aromatic traits, followed by edible fruits (ca. 33%). This collaborative effort represents a baseline for future research on this valuable lineage of flowering plants.