Forage plant species of the European Mediterranean
Following is a list of wild flora species, or horta, which are traditionally collected and eaten throughout Greece and the European Mediterranean, and beyond. I will continue to update this list and provide links to species pages with more extensive information.
The Mediterranean basin has a long and multifaceted cultural history and harbors a high biodiversity. Despite the increasing attention and studies on the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, no studies thus far have incorporated data related to the consumption of the many species of wild greens that make up such an important part of traditional diets throughout Greece, S. Spain and S. Italy. Leoniti et. al argues that the "culinary use of wild gathered weedy greens evolved together with the neolithization process, since this offered the necessary ecological niches for them to thrive, thereby enriching and securing the diets of European agriculturalists."
FLORA
ALLIACEAE
AMARANTHACEAE
Amaranthus blitum
Salicornia europea
APIACEAE
Caucalis (bur chervil, kafkalithra)
Foeniculum vulgare (marathon, wild fennel
Tordylium apium (Mediterranean hartwort) kafkalida
Scandix pectin veneris (shepherd’s needles, myroni)
ASPARAGACEAE
Muscari comosum
Asparagus officinalis
Asparagus acutifolius
Asparagus stipularis
ASTERACEAE
Carduus argentatus ssp. acicularis
Taraxacum officinale - radiki, Dandelion
Helminthotheca echioides
Lactuca scariola - milk thistle, prickly lettuce, petromaroulo
Scolymus
Sonchus oleraceus - sowthistle, zohos
Tragopogon (yellow salsify, tragopogon)
Urospermum picroides (agriozohos)
Silybum marianum
BORAGINACEAE
Borage (boratzi)
BRASSICACEAE
Capsella bursa-pastoris
Eruca sativa
Sinapsis alba (white mustard, sinapi)
Lepidium sativum (kardamo)
Hirschfeldia incana (mustard greens, vrouves)
CACTACEAE
Opunitia ficus-indica
CAPPARACEAE
Capparis spinosa
COMPOSITAE
Picridium vulgare – pikralida, galatsida
DIOSCOREACEAE
Tamus communis (Avronies, Black bryony)
GERANIACEAE
Erodium cicutarium (redstem stork’s bill, kalogeros
LAMIACEAE
Salvia officinalis
Tymus vulgaris
Origanum vulgare
LILIACEAE
Ornithogalum umbellatum (grass lily, star of Bethlehem)
MALVACEAE
Malva sylvestris (blue mallow)
MYRTACEAE
Myrtus communis
OXALIDACEAE
Oxalis pes-caprae
POLYGONACEAE
Rumex obtusifolius (lapatho)
PORTULACACEAE
Portulaca oleracea
RESEDACEAE
Reseda alba (rezda, white upright mignonette)
ROSACEAE
Rubus fruticosus
SOLANACEAE
Solanum nigrum (styfno)
Scolymus (golden thistle, askolymbrus)
URTICACEAE
Urtica dioca – tsouknida
VITACEAE
Vitis vinifera
FUNGI
Lactarius delisiosus
Lycoperdon perlatum
Cantharellus cibarius
Centaurea calcitrapa ssp. angusticeps, Centaurea hyalolepis, Ceratonia siliqua, Cichorium intybus, Crataegus azarolus, Crataegus monogyna, Crithmum maritimum, Cynara cardunculus, Cynara cornigera, Cynara scolymus, Echinops spinosissimus, Eruca sativa, Eryngium creticum, Eryngium glomeratum, Ficus carica, Foeniculum vulgare, Gundelia turnefortii, Laurus nobilis, Limonium sinuatum, Malva parviflora, Mentha pulegium, Mentha spicata, Muscari comosum, Myrtus communis, Nasturtium officinale, Notobasis syriaca, Onopordum bracteatum, Onopordum cyprium, Origanum dubium, Origanum majorana var. tenuifolium, Portulaca oleracea, Pistacia lentiscus, Pyrus syriaca, Rosmarinus officinalis, Scolymus hispanicus, Scolymus maculatus, Silene vulgaris, Silybum marianum, Sinapis alba, Sinapis arvensis, Sonchus oleraceus, Taraxacum cyprium, Taraxacum hellenicum, Thymus capitatus, Ziziphus lotus
Piperaceae, Peperomia pellucida
I am curious why this post receives more hits then practically any other on this blog. Any feedback to that effect would be appreciated.
Peperonia, along with Purslane and Talinium triangulare, is one of those edible herbs that can be found growing out of the cracks of sidewalks and in abandoned niches throughout the city, few people understand that it is an excellent edible leaf, with a delicate taste, reminiscent of cilantro. It has a very shallow root and a succulent stem (also edible), it volunteers itself and grows extensively throughout my nurseries, usually self-propagating at the base of larger potted trees.
The leaves can be added to salads. In the west Indies they are used to make tea. Medicinally the leaves adn stems are used in a poultice to treat eye infections. A deconcoction of the leaves is used to lower uric acid (for rheumatism and gout).
See link for more on Peperomia medicinal applications: http://www.drugs.com/npp/peperomia-pellucida.html
The other Piper species yielding edible leaves are Piper umbellatum and Piper stylosum, there are probably others. Piper betel is also worth mentioning because, although the leaf isn't eaten as one would eat Peperomia, the leaves are used as a part of the betel quid, wrapped around the seed of Areca catechu, the betel nut palm, very common throughout southeast Asia. I am propagating the betel nut palm in my nurseries but have yet to find Piper betel.