Underutilized and Underexploited Horticultural Crops : Vol. 5, 2010 © K.V. Peter(ed.), pp. 393-424 New India Publishing Agency, New Delhi (India) E-mail:
[email protected] Web: www.bookfactoryindia.com 16 Sambucus nigra L. in Catalonia (Iberian Peninsula) JOAN VALLES1.*, MARIAÁNGELS BONETl, TERESA GARNATJE2, JOAN MUNTANÉl, MONTSE PARADA1and MONTSERIGAT1 1 Laboratori de Botánica, Facultat de Farmacia, Universitat de Barcelona. Av. Joan XXIII, sIn. 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia. 2 Institut Botánic de Barcelona, CSIC-ICUB. Passeig del Migdia, sIn. Parc de MontjuTc. 08038 Barcelona, Catalonia. We presentin this paper the data about the popular uses of elder (Sambucus nigra) obtained in ethnobotanical studies carried out in the districts ("comarques") of Pallars [ussá, Pallars Sobir á, Cerdanya, Conflent, Capcir, Ripolles and Alt Empordá (Pyrenees) and in the Montseny massif (Catalan Prelittoral Range), complemented with others from different Catalan regions (also investigated by our group), and compared with those from other Iberian and Mediterranean territories. This bush or small tree is one of the most reported and used plants (for medicinal and other purposes), not on1y in the regions studied, but in all Catalonia and in many other areas as well. It is one of the most versatile plants, since its uses embrace many different fields like medicinal, food, ornamental, craft industry and games among others. It ís, in addition, aremarkable fact that almost every part of the plant (bark, root, leaves, flowers, fruits) has sorne uses. The genus Sambucus L. is widely distributed in temperate and subtropical zones (Mabberley 1990). According to a few authors, it constitutes about 20-25 species (Mabberley 1990, Bolos and Vigo 1995), whereas a more synthetic treatrnent (Bolli 1994) considers on1y nine species with 10 subspecies.