Test 1 Flashcards

Ethnobotany

The study and investigation of plants used by native societies across the world

Economic Botany

The study of plants that are useful, or have potential uses, to people and society

Horticulture

The art and science of growing plants for human health, enjoyment, use, or consumption

Agronomy

The study and practice of producing and using plants for food, fuel, fiber, or land-reclamation

Paleobotany

A branch of Paleontology that focuses on identifying plant remains and fossils, and their use in reconstructing past environments and histories

Aboriginal botany

The study of all forms of plant life that the aborigines or tribal people use for food, medicine, textile, and ornaments

Ethnobotanists

A trained botanist who works closely with native people and experts of other fields such as anthropology and biochemistry

Richard Evans Schultes

Incorporated ethnobotany into an academic curriculum

Edmund Wade Davis

Explored the Amazon and the Andes mountains and made 6,000 botanical collections

Mark Plotkin

Known for his conservation studies on the South American rainforests

Published Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice

Catechin

A polyphenol; a natural antioxidant found in green tea

Voucher specimen

A preserved species, which serves as a representative or basis of the study of a particular species. They are deposited into a herbarium to be used for future reference

Flavonoids

A type of water-soluble polyphenol

Soluble Fiber

A type of fiber found in pectin, mucilage, and gums

Quercetin

A type of flavonoid and a natural antioxidant

Resveratrol

A polyphenol with antioxidant properties that are abundant in purple grapes

Fat

A hydrophobic macromolecule which provides energy and essential fatty acids

Plant Taxonomy

The science of identifying, describing, naming, and classifying plants following a systematic order

Carbohydrate

An organic compound consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in the form of sugars, starches, or celluloses

Fat Soluble Vitamins

Necessary complex organic compounds which can be absorbed and transported together with fats

Botany

Study of plants and plant life

Lycopene

A carotenoid, which is an antioxidant that is naturally abundant in vine-ripe tomatoes

Protein

A macromolecule consisting of one or more long amino acid chains

Minerals

Inoragnic elements which are essential to human health

Polyphenols

A class of antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables which include flavonoids and non-flavonoids

Lutein

A carotenoid which is abundant in spinach, squash and carrots

Carotenoids

A class of fat soluble antioxidants generally found in yellow, orange, red, and green vegetables and fruits

Dietary Fiber

The edible constituents of plants, including cellulose, lignin, and pectin

Water Soluble Vitamins

Necessary complex organic compounds that are absorbed and transported via water and are not stored in the body

Lignin

A complex polymer found in the secondary cell walls of woody plants and which contributes to their strength and rigidity

Insoluble Fiber

A type of fiber, such as cellulose and lignin, which does not provide any direct nutritional benefit other than adding bulk and roughage to the diet

Cladophyll

A flattened, leaf-like stem

Gnocchi

A type of Italian pasta made from potatoes

Involucral Bracts

The leaf-like bracts of an involucre

Sabudana

A starchy, pearl-like product of cassava roots (Manihot esculenta)

Farofa

A flour made from dried and toasted cassava (Manihot esculenta)

Hypocotyl

The region of an embryo located below the cotyledons

Stem

The main axis of a plant which supports the branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits

Calcium Oxalate

An insoluble colorless crystalline salt which can form into kidney stones in humans

Corm

A short-swollen, vertically compressed underground stem with a solid storage tissue inside

Vegetable

Any edible plant part that derived from the vegatative plant parts such as leaves or portions of stems and roots

Bolting

When a stem expands and produces flowering shoots prematurely

Rhizome

A fleshy underground stem modification which has storage parenchyma

Poi

A native Hawaiian dish made from the fermented mashed corms of taro (Colocasia esculenta)

Chuno

A mold-tasting powder made from the dried cellulose-starch mass of frozen potatoes which is traditionally used by Native Americans in the Andes regions of South America

Tuber

A swollen tip of stem extensions or storage roots

Cyanogenic Glycoside

A nitrogen containing secondary plant metabolite with a cyanohydrin group in the aglycone group

Bulb

A shortened, compressed underground stem with one or more buds surrounded by numerous fleshy leaf bases that form layers

Sago

A starch obtained from the pith of the sago palm (Metroxylon sagu)