Examining Wild Edible Plant Knowledge: A valid cultural domain in Illinois, USA

Examining Wild Edible Plant Knowledge: A valid cultural domain in Illinois, USA.

Integration into a capitalist economy and geographic location are commonly assumed to influence plant knowledge and uses.  The need to understand how and why plant knowledge is shared in non-indigenous cultures becomes more important as the issue of sustainability increases globally.  Preliminary research comparing these variables to an Illinois community’s county statistics would suggest that a valid cultural domain of wild edible plants would be unlikely to exist due to integration into capitalism and lack of access to wild edible plants.

However, initial consensus analysis documents the existence of a cultural domain of wild edible plants within this community.  This research analyzes why and how wild edible plant knowledge is being retained in a rural community located in a metro county primarily dependent upon service sector employment.  Potentially significant factors affecting plant knowledge are family, occupation, or recreational organizations.