Volume 63, Issue 3, August 2009, Pages 303-313
a
Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, 3507 Laclede Ave., St. Louis, MO 63103-2010, United States
b Cleveland Botanical Garden, Green Corps, 11030 East Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44106, United States
b Cleveland Botanical Garden, Green Corps, 11030 East Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44106, United States
Abstract
Ethnobotany
of Horseradish (;Armoracia rusticana, Brassicaceae) and Its Wild
Relatives (Armoracia spp.): Reproductive Biology and Local Uses in Their
Native Ranges. Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) has been cultivated
for its root for over 2,000 years. Today, commercial production takes
place primarily in North America and Europe where A. rusticana is
propagated exclusively vegetatively. Like many vegetatively-propagated
crops, cultivated A. rusticana plants are generally sterile. Armoracia
rusticana is one of three species in the genus: A. macrocarpa is native
to the Central Danube River Basin, A. rusticana is putatively native to
Eastern Europe, and A. sisymbrioides is native to Siberia. Documenting
the ways in which the three Armoracia species are used in their putative
native ranges and the reproductive biology of Armoracia in these
regions will advance understanding of the role of humans in the
evolution of sterility in A. rusticana. In this broad-scale
ethnobotanical analysis, we document 1) which Armoracia species are used
in different geographic regions, 2) the reproductive biology of
cultivated and natural Armoracia populations, and 3) the uses of
Armoracia species in their native areas. Fieldwork was conducted in
Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia.
Ethnobotanical data were collected through written questionnaires. In
all areas visited, A. rusticana is the primary Armoracia species;
however, there is regional variation in the way the plant is used.
Armoracia rusticana is propagated vegetatively and is not found in the
wild. Armoracia macrocarpa and A. sisymbrioides reproduce by seed in
nature. These data provide an understanding of contemporary uses and
management strategies of Armoracia species in their native ranges,
demonstrate the differential reproductive biology of a
clonally-propagated crop relative to its wild progenitors, and emphasize
the importance of ethnobotanical data collection for crops and their
wild relatives from a broad geographic range. © The New York Botanical
Garden 2009.
Author keywords
Armoracia; Eastern Europe; Ethnobotany; Horseradish; Root crop; Russia
Indexed keywords
Species Index: Armoracia; Armoracia rusticana; Brassicaceae; Macrocarpa
