Edible woody plants growing wild in the Tbilisi environs (Georgia, South Caucasus)

Nikoloz Lachashvili 1, Nino Eradze 2, Tamar Nadiradze 3, *, Kakha Iashagashvili 1 and Liana Khetsuriani 1

1 Niko Ketskhoveli Institute of Botany of Ilia State University; #1 Botanikuri str., 0105 Tbilisi, Georgia.
2 Ethnobotany Department of the National Botanical Garden of Georgia, #1 Botanikuri str., 0108 Tbilisi, Georgia.
3 Department of Agricultural, Natural Sciences and Technologies, Faculty of Agricultural, Natural Sciences and Technologies, Iakob Gogebashvili Telavi State University, #1 Kartuli Universiteti str., 2200 Telavi, Georgia.
 
Research Article
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2024, 24(01), 1814–1823
Article DOI: 10.30574/wjarr.2024.24.1.3167
 
Publication history: 
Received on 08 September 2024; revised on 16 October 2024; accepted on 18 October 2024
 
Abstract: 
In the environs of Tbilisi (Georgia, South Caucasus), 57 species of wildly grown trees and shrubs used for food by the local population have been identified. Five species of them are naturalized plants for Tbilisi area. The usage of edible trees and shrubs for food is diverse. Their different parts are used for food purposes - fruits, flowers, leaves, shoots. Moreover, the same species is used in different ways. It should be noted that the use of wildly grown trees and shrubs for food has decreased a lot in the last period. The main reasons for this are: (1) the population of Tbilisi and its surroundings mostly buys products in agricultural markets and supermarkets, (2) the rural population also grows various fruits in their homesteads, (3) a large part of the city population does not know about the use of various edible trees and shrubs.
 
Keywords: 
Tree; Shrub; Species; Ethnobotany; Use of plants
 
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