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Ethnobotany of Lasia spinosa (L.) Thwaites: the spiny edible aroid in Asia

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Abstract

The culturally valued and scientifically important ethnobotanical knowledge associated with the indigenous community is highly vulnerable due to changes in current socio-economic status. Such knowledge is still in the hands of traditional communities, and the knowledge is transferred from generation to generation as personal memories. Hence, collection, conservation, and utilization of indigenous knowledge are essential globally before disappearing from old generations of local communities. Underutilized food crops are often utilized by under privilege communities in the developing world. The knowledge associated with such species remains with them as personal memories. Lasia spinosa is such neglected edible aroid in Asia with remarkable food and medicinal values. The species is characterized by sharp and pointed spines on rhizome and leaf petiole. Despite its spiny nature, it is popular among some village communities in Asia primarily as a vegetable. This study collected ethnobotanical information on all aspects of L. spinosa across its native range. The authors collected the required ethnobotany information after consultation with key informants from various countries and referring to historical and recent literature. The results consist of information on different names applied, folk classification, food and medicinal uses, and traditional beliefs which can integrate into current knowledge aiming for popularizing L. spinosa as a vegetable among consumers as well as farmers.

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Data availability

Data collected in this research is available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to participants in various countries for providing information on the ethnobotany of L. spinosa.

Funding

The authors declare that no funds, Grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka

    Ranil Rajapaksha, Nuwan De Silva & Gamini Pushpakumara

  2. Laboratory of Ecology and Environmental Management, Science and Technology Advanced Institute, Van Lang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Van The Pham

  3. Faculty of Applied Technology, School of Technology, Van Lang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Van The Pham

  4. Department of Botany, Degree Campus, Tribhuvan University, Biratnagar, Nepal

    Rijan Ojha

  5. Biodiversity Research and Conservation Society, Kathmandu, Nepal

    Rijan Ojha

  6. Ethnobotany and Pharmacognosy Lab, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh

    Taherul Islam

  7. Department of Ethnobotany, State Museum of Natural History, 76133, Karlsruhe, Germany

    Rainer W. Bussmann

  8. Department of Ethnobotany, Institute of Botany and Bakuriani Alpine Botanical Garden, Ilia State University, Botanical Street 1, 0105, Tbilisi, Georgia

    Rainer W. Bussmann

Authors
  1. Ranil Rajapaksha
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, analysis and interpretation were performed by RR, VTP, RO, TI and NDS. The first draft of the manuscript was written by RR and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ranil Rajapaksha.

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Rajapaksha, R., Pham, V.T., Ojha, R. et al. Ethnobotany of Lasia spinosa (L.) Thwaites: the spiny edible aroid in Asia. Genet Resour Crop Evol 70, 1553–1566 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-023-01574-z

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