Ethnobotany - from "ethnology" - the study of culture, and, "botany" - the study of plants.
Ethnobotany is the study of relationships between human communities and plants. How do plant species and plant communities support human populations, ultimately contributing valuable support and enrichment to the lives of countless people?
Ethnobotanists work to analyze and document complex interactions between people and their myriad uses of plants including those used as foods, in medicines, cosmetics, textiles and construction.
This is my blog about the ethnobotanical plant community in the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory North Garden. This community represents a variety of plants that are physically and economically useful to human communities around the planet.
This year (2011), I became a volunteer in this garden, 3 hours every other Monday. To the best of my ability, I will interact with visitors and provide information relating to the plants in this collection.
Every day that I am able to volunteer, I will be writing a blog entry describing some of the plants in this particular conservatory room and some of my volunteer experiences of the day. I will also be adding links and other information related to one or more of the plants.
Over time, as I better fit the update and maintenance of this blog into my schedule, I will be able to write additional information in greater detail about the plants along with links and references for the readers to find more information outside of this blog.
Peace to all.
Mary.
