The diversity and traditional knowledge of wild edible vegetables in Aceh, Indonesia

Abstract

Background: Wild edible vegetables contribute significantly to human well-being. These plants have a high nutritional value and are a source of novel alleles/genes that are important in developing new and improved crop cultivars to promote sustainable food security. However, most wild edible vegetables are less well-known and underutilized. This study aimed to investigate wild edible vegetable species diversity and their potential in the Aceh region, Indonesi Methods: The ethnobotanical study was carried out in two districs, i.e. Aceh Selatan and Aceh barat Daya. The ethnobotanical survey was carried out from May to June 2023 and included 383 randomly selected respondents. The ethnobotanical investigation uses semi-structured questionnaires to gather information on the traditional knowledge of wild edible vegetables. Plant specimens were collected and identified in Universitas Samudra. Results: A total of 86 wild species belonging to 35 families and 67 genera were documented as being consumed as vegetables by local people in the study area. In terms of frequency of citation, only 28 taxa were cited by 75% or more of the interviewed people, 17 (20%) vegetable taxa were commonly gathered and consumed, 35 (41.2%) were rarely cited-ranging from 5 to 20% of informants, and 5 were very rarely cited. Artocarpus integer, Archidendron bubalinum, Etlingera elatior, Macrothelypteris torresiana, Stenochlaena palustris, Bambusa vulgaris, Colocasia esculenta, Pseudosasa japonica, Diplazium esculentum, and Ipomoea aquatica are the ten most cited vegetables in the study area. Despite the fact that the study discovered a high diversity of wild edible vegetables, local people in Kluet Tengah only used an average of 31.11 ± 9.21 species out of 57 species recorded. Most of the reported vegetables were consumed cooked (74 species), eaten raw (2), both cooked and raw (3), and 5 species were added as a spice to the dish. Indigenous knowledge of wild edible vegetables was significantly associated with districts, age groups, and educational levels. Conclusion: Aceh has a diverse range of wild edible vegetables, but only a small proportion has been used by local people, particularly as food. Promotion and domestication of wild edible vegetables should be a primary concern in Aceh in order to take advantage of their nutritional value and potential economic value. Moreover, integrating knowledge related to wild edible vegetables into the educational curriculum is critical for educating the next generation regarding the potential of wild edible vegetables in the future.