research article use and diversity of palm (arecaceae...

Research ArticleUse and Diversity of Palm (Arecaceae) Resources inCentral Western Brazil

Renata Correcirca Martins1 Tarciso de Sousa Filgueiras2 and Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque3

1 University of Brasılia Brasılia CP 4457 70919-990 Brasilia DF Brazil2 Institute of Botany Sao Paulo CP 3005 01061-950 Sao Paulo SP Brazil3 Federal Rural University of Pernambuco Laboratory of Applied andTheoretical Ethnobiology (LEA)Rua DomManoel de Medeiros sn Dois Irmaos 52171-900 Recife PE Brazil

Correspondence should be addressed to Renata Correa Martins renatacerradogmailcomand Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque upa677hotmailcom

Received 30 August 2013 Accepted 9 October 2013 Published 2 January 2014

Academic Editors M Cresti and G L Rotino

Copyright copy 2014 Renata Correa Martins et al This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons AttributionLicense which permits unrestricted use distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properlycited

Arecaceae Schultz-Sch (Palmae Juss) a member of the monocotyledon group is considered one of the oldest extant angiospermfamilies on Earth This family is highly valuable because of its species diversity its occurrence in a wide range of habitats andits status as an integral part of the culture and the family-based economy of many traditional and nontraditional communitiesThe main objectives of this study were to perform an ethnobotanical study involving these palms and a ldquoQuilombolardquo (Maroon)community in the municipality of Cavalcante GO Brazil The variables gender age and formal schooling had no influence onthe number of species recognized and used by the Kalungas Ethnobotanical studies based on traditional knowledge in addition touse and management of palms are fundamental aspects for planning and appliance of public policies directed to the use of naturalresources and improvement of life quality

1 Introduction

Several studies of palm species have highlighted their varietyof uses Palms have often been cited as useful materialsfor construction food handcrafts rituals and therapeuticsQuantitative methods have been used in ethnobotanicalstudies to analyze the knowledge and use of palms by localpeople with the work of Bates [1] Byg and Balslev [2] Byget al [3] Campos and Ehringhaus [4] Nascimento et al [5]and Zambrana et al [6] deserving special mention

The family Arecaceae offers a high potential value forthe Brazilian Cerrado because it has great species diversity(approximately 60 species) [7] exists in all types of habitat(from forest to savanna and grassland) [8] and is part ofthe culture and family-based economies of many traditionaland non-traditional communities of the Cerrado Howeverfew ethnobotanical studies have been conducted on the useof palms despite the extensive palm groves and the culturaldiversity of the region (see [5 9 10])

The Brazilian Cerrado is also home to a diverse rangeof Quilombola (Maroon) communities who represent thedescendants of African people who arrived in Brazil as slavesduring the colonial period Ethnobotanical and ethnophar-macological research has been conducted in Quilombolacommunities with an emphasis on medicinal plants includ-ing studies by Amoroso [11] Rodrigues and Carlini [12]Franco and Barros [13] Rodrigues [14] and Crepaldi andPeixoto [15] However because of the wide distribution ofthese communities across Brazil and their diverse cultureslandscapes and natural resources a great deal of ethnobio-logical knowledge remains unexplored

This study aims to add to the local botanical knowledgeregarding the family Arecaceae (Palmae) in Brazil especiallyin the Cerrado by studying communities closely linked tothe Cerrado and its natural resources to understand theirrelationships with and the use of native palms This paperaims to answer the following questions

Hindawi Publishing Corporatione Scientific World JournalVolume 2014 Article ID 942043 14 pageshttpdxdoiorg1011552014942043

2 The Scientific World Journal

(i) What is the diversity of palms known and used by aQuilombola community of the Brazilian Cerrado

(ii) Do the gender age and education of the respondentsinfluence their recognition and use of palm species

(iii) Which palms are the favorites of the local communityand which parts of those palms are the most impor-tant

2 Materials and Methods

21 Area of the Study The field work was conducted ina Quilombola community in Goias State The populationof Goias is approximately 1847671 (married people over10 years old) [16] distributed among 246 cities The 73Quilombola communities in Goias are distributed among24 cities Cavalcante is home to the greatest number ofQuilombola communities (23) followed byMonteAlegre (15)and Teresina de Goias (6) [17] People from the Quilombolacommunities in these three cities are called Kalungas orCalungas

For the Kalunga people the name Kalunga refers toa stream that passes near the Contenda farmland In thepast many people did not like to be referred to as Kalungabecause it was synonymous with witchcraft and lazinessHowever many became proud of this identity when theirpresence on the land became legalized [18 19] The Kalungaterritory was established by Africans and African-Brazilianswho escaped from slavery and remained in the region afterthe decline of mining and the abolition of slavery The freedslave population from other areas also migrated to the regionlooking for land to cultivate to enable an autonomous and freeexistence [20]

The Kalungas lived for 200 years isolated in the valleysof the tributaries of the Parana river and on the edges ofthe ldquoChapada dos Veadeirosrdquo and formed various groupswith four main large groups located in Vao de AlmasContenda Vao doMoleque and Ribeirao dos Bois and othersmaller groupings located in Riachao Sucuri Saco GrandeVolta do Canto Olha drsquoagua Ema Taboca Corrego FundoTerra Vermelha Lagoa Porcos Brejao Fazendinha VargemGrande Engenho II Funil Capela and a dozen other places[19]

The Kalungas were scientifically discovered in 1982 bythe anthropologist Mari de Nazare Baiocchi Prior to thistime theKalungas practiced subsistence living planting to eatand exchanging products such as cassava flour leather andmangaba for fabrics salt and other supplies in neighboringtownsThe ldquodiscoveryrdquo of the Kalungas led them to obtain thelegal right to own their land preventing land invaders fromdisplacing them [21]

The area of the Historic Kalunga Site was registeredby Law No 11406 on January 21 1991 and regulated byLaw No 19 on January 5 1996 A large part of this scenicterritory consists of mountains with extensive steep areaslarge valleys and many rivers Only 30 of this area is arable[19] and accessing many communities is difficult

The area of the Kalunga territory is a well-preservedCerrado region especially in areas with steep topographies

featuring hillsides and mountain ranges The area featuresextensive palm groves and valleys andmost of the communi-ties are located near rivers creeks and streams Their housesare constructed from adobe with palm leaf roofs and packedearth floorsThese communities practice simple lifestyles forexample using wood stoves Some communities (Engenho IIand Vao doMoleque) have received benefits from the federalgovernment and many residents in those communities haveacquired new homes built with masonry and with clayroofs

The social organization of these communities is typicallycentered around family relationships [18] The family isthe basic unit of society in which people help each otherand the ethical and cultural values of the community arepassed on These communities have cycles of events basedon the planting and harvesting times The Cerrado featurestwo defined seasons (wet summer and dry winter) andthese seasons determine the time spent cultivating the land[19 22]

The Kalunga community lives by subsistence agricultureincluding husbandry of cattle pigs and poultry and extrac-tion of Cerrado fruits (watermelon banana) vegetables andmedicinal plants cultivated in home gardens and orchards[22ndash24] The main crops are corn (90 of families) followedby beans (80) cassava (70) rice (50) pumpkin (50)and sugar cane (40) [25]

Approximately 60 of residents use cassava to produceflour which is one of the most economically importantproducts for these communities [25] Kalunga gardens arestrategically important due to their growth and maintenanceof a wide variety of plants [22]

The Kalunga territory borders Tocantins state occupyingan area of approximately 2532 thousand hectares at thefollowing geographic coordinates from 13∘201015840 to 13∘271015840 southlatitude and from 47∘101015840 to 47∘201015840 west latitude from Green-wich This territory is located in the Chapada dos Veadeirosarea northeast of Goias state 600 km from Goiania and330 km from BrasiliaThe region borders the following citiesMonte Alegre de Goias Terezina de Goias and Cavalcante(Figure 1)

This study examines the Kalunga community EngenhoII This community is located 27 km from the municipalityof Cavalcante and is accessed via an unpaved road thatreaches the center of the community (13∘ 341015840 5710158401015840 S and 47∘281015840 2110158401015840W) The houses of the residents are built of mixedmaterials including adobe and masonry and have roofsmade of buriti leaves and clay tiles At the end of this researchthe community consisted of approximately 100 homes andapproximately 550 residents

The residents of the Engenho II practice subsistenceagriculture and participate in the regional market eventuallyas employees selling or exchanging products The cultivatedareas are far from the farmhouses of the community Someresidents engage in a small amount of commerce by sellingsnacks and preparing meals to order Some Kalungas arepublic employees and several are tour guides One of themain income-generating activities in this community is therural tourism with attractions including waterfalls hikingand homemade food

The Scientific World Journal 3

Kalunga community Engenho IIQuilombola Historic Kalunga Site

Figure 1 Map of Brazil denoting Goias State (GO) the QuilombolaHistoric Kalunga Site and the Kalunga Community Engenho II inCavalcante GO central western Brazil

22 Ethnobotanical Data Collection The process of request-ing access to study this traditional community was filed inSeptember 2009 with the request of a signature to provideprior consent Resolution No 250 was published in theOfficial Gazette on April 16 2010 The process number thatauthorized this research is 020000027932009-73 and theauthorization number is 482009

This work was performed in three phases

221 Phase I Informal Interviews To develop a preliminarylist of palm species known among the residents of theEngenho II community approximately 20 residents wereinterviewed including some tourist guides and local leadersThe interviews took place in a shed used to provide touristservices We used a diary to record the names of the palmsand the locations of the populations along with informationabout the use of the species and any other interesting detailsIn this step 16 palm species were recognized

222 Phase II Guided Tour and Systematic Botany CollectionA guided tour was conducted to support and validate thenames of the plants mentioned in the informal interviews[26] In this step a floristic survey of all palm species inthe region was conducted Samples were collected from siteswhere palms occurred Areas with forest savanna and grass-land formations were examined and all 16 species mentioned

during the informal interviewswere photographed collectedand identified

Jorge Moreira da Silva Damiao Santos Rosa and JoaoFrancisco Maia participated in the botanical collection expe-ditions The specimens were deposited in the UB (Universityof Brasilia) herbarium Due to difficulties in collecting someof these palm species some were identified in the field whileothers were determined according to the literature [27ndash29]

223 Phase III Sample Selection This study considered alllocal residences (119899 = 100) 12 of which had no residents Wevisited the community 12 times with each visit lasting 2ndash4days beginning in May 2010 and ending in February 2011The preferred informant was the oldest resident of the housepresent at time of the visit

The ethnobotanical data were collected in a semi-structured interview conducted using the checklistinterviewmethod [26 30]This technique is considered the best optionwhen there is only one chance to interview the informant[26] In the first part of the interview the questions deter-mined the socioeconomic profile of the informant such asgender age and education In the second part the questionsreferred directly to the recognition and use of palms asdescribed below

Eighty-eight individual interviews were conducted 56 ofthe interviewees were women and 32 were men with agesranging between 18 and 82 yearsThemain activity performedby the residents is the cultivation of land (farming) (70 119899 =88) and men and women perform other activities includingdomestic duties and rural tourism The respondents alsoincluded one health officer one public employee two schoolcooks two teachers and three local business owners

Visual stimuli enable an evaluation of the respondentrsquosknowledge and use of plants (see [30ndash32]) Considering thesize of palm samples photographswere the best visual stimulifor this study The systematic use of photographs of plants inethnobotanical interviews is still poorly represented in theliterature [30 33ndash35] but this approach has been shown tobe more effective than the use of voucher specimens [36]

Sixteen A4-sized photographs of each palm speciespresent in the region were prepared (Figure 2) The pho-tographs show the plant in its habitat and the leaf flowerandor fruit shapes A preliminary compilation of the figureswas used in a pilot formulary in the community to determinewhether the photographs accurately captured the true plantmorphology and fit with local knowledge Thus it waspossible to ensure that ldquothe informants and the interviewerwere talking about the same plantrdquo [33]

In each residence the figures were handed to the infor-mant one at a time Then for each species shown thefollowing questions were asked Do you know this plantHave you ever used it For what purpose did you use thisplant How did you use it What part did you use Thepopular names and descriptions of use were recorded

A ranking method was used to identify the most cul-turally significant species as this method has been shownto be highly useful in studies of local preferences [26]The informants were asked to rank the species according totheir preferences (using the figures)


23 Data Analysis The nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis testwas used to analyze the influences of gender age andeducation and the number of palms recognized and usedby the informants The analysis of variance was performedusing BioEstat 50 software [37] and Excel was used for thecorrelation analysis (Windows 7)

The analysis was performed for the two age groups 18ndash40 and 41ndash82 [38ndash40] The respondentsrsquo levels of educationwere categorized as illiterate some elementary educationcompleted elementary education some secondary educationcompleted secondary education and some higher education

To analyze the rankings of the photos salience wascalculated using the ANTHROPAC software [41] To analyzethe knowledge and use of the palms the obtained informa-tion was analyzed by ethnobotanical indexes according tothe consensus among the informants [2 42 43] (Table 1)The values of the total species diversity (SDtot) and totalspecies equitability (SEtot) were calculated to characterize thediversity in the use of palms and the uniformity of the degreeto which the various species contribute to the daily lives of theinformants

3 Results and Discussion

The survey generated 1928 records of use for the 16 palmspecies The uses were grouped into 10 categories (Table 2)as follows fooddirect use foodcooking foodanimal feedhandicrafts construction medicinal biofuel toxic ritualand fertilizer

31 Diversity of the Known and Used Palms In the Kalungacommunity studied here respondents recognized 16 palmspecies belonging to nine genera (Table 3) Approximately51 common names were cited to designate the 16 speciesrecorded (Table 3) All palms in this study are native to theCerrado and only Syagrus oleracea (guariroba) was cited ascultivated by one informant Euterpe edulis (palmiteiro) wasthe only species identified that has a vulnerable conservationstatus [44]

The number of palms recognized (NPR) varied between1 and 16 (mean 13) and the number of palms that havesome use (NPU) varied between 5 and 16 (mean 13) Thetotal species diversity (SDtot) for all the palms used by theKalungas was SDtot = 1547 while the value of total speciesequitability was SEtot = 097 These values indicate that manyspecies were mentioned by many informants and that thepalms are homogeneously used throughout the communityIn another study about palms Byg and Balslev [2] suggesta heterogeneous distribution of knowledge about palmsdemonstrating that many palm species were used by only afew informants

32 The Influence of Gender Age and Education on theRecognition and Use of Palms Among women and menthe average numbers of palms recognized (NPR) were 125(plusmn33) and 129 (plusmn38) respectively and the average numbersof plants used (NPU) were 126 (plusmn30) and 133 (plusmn21)respectively The NPR (119875 = 069) and NPU (119875 = 057)

Figure 2 A figure used during the interviews in the Kalungacommunity Engenho II Cavalcante GO central western BrazilAttalea speciosa (coconut palm)

were not significantly different between men and women(Kruskall-Wallis test)However the informant diversity index(IDs) shows a difference in knowledge between the gendersThe average IDs for women was 3446 (plusmn92) while for menit was 2169 (plusmn48) with 119875 lt 005 Moreover the averageinformant equitability index (IEs) was 073 (plusmn019) forwomenand 08 (plusmn018) for men

Rural areas often feature stark divisions of labor and therelationship between gender and plant knowledge seems tobe correlated with the gendersrsquo different obligations to thecommunity [45] These authors point to the accumulation ofroles forwomenwho in addition to the ldquoeasierrdquowork (house-work food preparation gardening etc) also participate inthe ldquoheavyrdquo work (planting and harvesting in the plantation)

The greater diversity of palm use among women can beexplained by the large array of responsibilities that Kalungawomen and other rural women take on to ensure the main-tenance and survival of the family especially the childrenActivities such as obtaining firewood or long walks to arrivein the plantation areas are possible explanations for the higherexposure of women to different palm species The highestvalue of equitability of use among men was associated withthe category of construction which is primarily performedby men


Table 1 Indexes used to analyze the knowledge and use of palms in the Kalunga Community Engenho II Cavalcante GO central westernBrazil [2 42 43]

Indexes Calculation Description

Total species diversity (SDtot)

SDtot = 1sum1198751199042(119875 = total contribution of species s to the total usenumber of times species s was cited divided by thetotal number of citations)

Measures how the species are used and how theycontribute to the total palm use Values rangefrom 0 to 119899

Total species equitability (SEtot) SEtot = SDtotn(119899 = number of species used)

Measures how different species contribute to totalpalm use independent of the number of speciesused Values range from 0 to 1

Importance value (IVs)

IVs = nisn(number of informants who considered species sthe most important) n = total number ofinformants

Measures the proportion of informants who citedone species as the most preferred Values rangefrom 0 to 1

Use diversity values (UDs)

UDs = 1SPc2(Pc = contribution of the use category c to thetotal utility of species s the number of timesspecies s was mentioned within each use categorydivided by the total number of citations of use ofspecies s among all use categories)

Measures how a species is used within a categoryand the degree to which it contributes to theoverall use of this species The values range from 0to the number of categories of use for which theplant is used

Use equitability value (UEs) UEs = UDsUDsmax(UDsmax = the maximum use diversity value fora species with a given number of categories)

Measures how different uses contribute to theoverall use of a species independent of thenumber of categories of use Values range from 0to 1

Informant diversity value (IDs)

IDs = 1sum1198752119894

119875119894

= contribution of informant i to the totalknowledge of species s (number of usesmentioned by an informant divided by the totalnumber of uses)

Measures how many informants use one speciesand how its use is distributed among informantsValues range from 0 to the number of informantsthat use the species

Informant equitability value (IEs)IEs = IDsIDsmax(IDsmax = the maximum diversity value of aninformant for species s)

Measures how the use of a species is distributedamong informants regardless of the number ofinformants who use it The values range from 0 to1

Use consensus value (UCs) UCs = 2ns119899 minus 1(ns = number of people who use species s)

Measures the degree of agreement amonginformants regarding whether a species is usefulValues range from minus1 to +1

Purpose consensus value (PCs)

PCs = sum Pu2S(Pu = proportional contribution of the use u tothe overall utility of the species s S = total numberof different types of use of species s) PCsrepresents the number of times that use u hasbeen recorded for species s divided by the totalnumber of recorded uses for species s

Measures the degree of agreement betweeninformants regarding a given use Values rangefrom 0 to 1

Species diversity value (SDi)

SDi = 1sum Ps2(Ps = contribution of a species s to the total use ofa species by informant i the ratio between thenumber of times that the informant mentions aspecies divided by the total number of responsesof the informant)

Measures how an informant uses many speciesand how the uses are distributed among speciesValues range from 0 to the number of species usedby the informant

Species equitability values (SEi)SEi = SDiSd imax(Sd imax = maximum value of species diversityfor informant i)

Measures how an informant uses known plantsregardless of the number of plants used Valuesrange from 0 to 1

Part of the plant value (PPV) The ratio between the total number of reporteduses for each plant part (sumRUplant part) and thesum of uses reported for that plant (sumRU)

Indicates the difference in the number of uses ofthe parts of the plant and reveals the mostfrequently used part of the plant


Table 2 Descriptions of the 10 categories of use identified for palms in the Kalunga community Engenho II Cavalcante GO central westernBrazil

Category of use DescriptionFooddirect use The consumption of fruits or other plant parts occurs in natura

Foodcooking The part used (fruit seed palm heart) is manipulated for the consumption of juice cake dessert porridgeoil and meal

Foodanimal feed Used to feed domestic animals

Handicrafts Household items (ldquotapitirdquo sieve ldquoquibanordquo) rustic furniture (sofa bookshelf table) decorative objects anddirect use of any part of the plant (eg using the sheath of a buriti palm as a dustpan)

Construction Construction andor coverage of ranches houses kitchens hen houses and pigsties

Medicinalcosmetic Use of any part of the palm alone or manipulated with other species for the manufacture of homemademedicine and cosmetics (only one cosmetic use was cited)

Ritual Decoration in religious ceremonies and blessingsFertilizer Use of decomposed plant parts as fertilizerBiofuel Use of dried leaves to light fires and of dried fruits as charcoalToxic Citations of contraindicated uses

Analyzing two age groups (18ndash40 and 41ndash82) revealed thatthe NPR values were 128 (plusmn28) and 124 (plusmn44) respectivelywhile theNPU values were 124 (plusmn28) and 134 (plusmn25) respec-tively The analysis of variance (Kruskal-Wallis) showed nosignificant differences in the recognition (119875 = 052) anduse (119875 = 007) of the species between the age groups (119875 gt005) However in the second age group the NPU is greaterthan the NPR This result is explained by the nonrecognitionof certain species by some older informants with visionproblems The use of visual stimuli among older informantshad limitations Previous studies using visual stimuli alsoobserved this limitation [46]

Analyses correlating age and knowledge of plants espe-cially knowledge ofmedicinal uses have shown that older agecorresponds with greater knowledge about plants [47 48]Regarding the use of palms in the Engenho II communityage differences are not very pronounced The noticeablefamilial relationship among community members stronglysuggests that the family ismainly responsible for the temporalcontinuity of knowledge The older people in the communityare highly respected and their homes are visited by youngerrelatives for several reasons The young people in turnreceive training from their elders and learn new ways ofusing the palms Thus the transmission and exchange ofknowledge is not interrupted in this community Howeversome products derived from palms are being replaced byindustrialized products such as oils and as some practicesare abandoned knowledge of palms in the Engenho II willlikely change over the long term

In the case of the Engenho II community education didnot have a statistically significant effect on the NPR (119875 = 02)or the NPU (119875 = 075) the numbers of palms recognized andused by the informants (119875 gt 005) Some authors assume thatformal education decreases traditional knowledge [47 49]however other studies do not observe this effect [50]

33 Distribution of the Knowledge and Use of Palms Regard-ing the number of citations of use (119899 = 1928) by speciesMauritia flexuosa (buriti palm) was the best-represented

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

A a

culea

taA

com

pta

A ca

mpe

stris

A ei

chler

iA

Leu

coca

lyxA

spec

iosa

B ca

pita

taE

edul

isG

poh

liana

M a

rmat

aM

flex

uosa

S co

mos

aS

defl

exa

S o

lerac

eaS

rom

anzo

ffian

aS

rupi

cola

Figure 3 Number of citations of the use of palm species in theEngenho II community Cavalcante GO central western Brazil(Acrocomia aculeate Attalea compta Allagoptera campestris Attaleaeichleri Allagoptera leucocalyx Attalea speciosa Butia capitataEuterpe edulis Geonoma pohliana Mauritiella armata Mauritiaflexuosa Syagrus comosa Syagrus deflexa Syagrus oleracea Syagrusromanzoffiana and Syagrus rupicola)

species followed by Attalea compta (indaia) and Acrocomiaaculeata (macauba) (Figure 3 and Table 4)

331 Food Use Among the Kalungas of the Engenho IIcommunity food use happens either directly (in nature) orin cooking and all palm types of the area are used in thiscategory The mesocarp epicarp seeds palm heart and stipeof various species are used in both ways In addition to innatura use the mesocarp is used to prepare juices dessertsmilk candies and liquor (immersed with the fruits of Butiapurpurascens)

Acrocomia aculeata had the greatest number of parts usedfor food (6) Many Kalungas extract oil from the seeds ofsome species for use in cooking and to make milk that isused in other preparations The palm hearts of 13 species


Table 3 List of species common names parts used and the uses of palms in the Kalunga community Engenho II Cavalcante GO centralwestern Brazil In the ldquoVernacular namesrdquo column the bolded names indicate those most frequently used by the informants in the ldquoUsesrdquocolumn the number indicates the number of different uses for the species

Scientific name Vernacular names Parts used Uses

Acrocomia aculeata(Jacq) Lodd ex Mart Macauba Palm xodo

Fruit (epicarp mesocarp seed)stipe (ldquoshellrdquo and center core)palm heart

(5) Food (direct use cookingand animal feed) handicraftsmedicinal

Allagoptera campestris(Mart) Kuntze

Licuri rasteiro do campo licurizinhocoquinho rasteiro licurizinho do cerradocoquinho de licuri

Leaf fruit (mesocarp seed)palm heart

(3) Food (direct use cooking)handicrafts

Allagoptera leucocalyx(Drude) Kuntze

Licuri rasteiro da mata coco licurilicurizinho licuri rasteiro licurizinhorasteiro coquinho painha

Mesocarp seed palm heart(6) Food (direct use cooking)handicrafts constructionmedicinal toxic

Attalea comptaGlassman Indaia daia babacu

Fruit (mesocarp endocarpseed) leaf palm heartpeduncular bractinfructescence

(6) Food (direct use cooking)handicrafts constructionmedicinal fuel

Attalea eichleri(Drude) AJ Hend

Pindoba palhinha piacaba painhacoco-painha candoba

Fruit (mesocarp seed) leafpeduncular bract

(5) Food (direct use cooking)handicrafts constructionmedicinal

Attalea speciosaMartex Spreng Palm coco-palmeira babacu Leaf fruit (endocarp mesocarp

seed) palm heart(4) Food (direct use cooking)handicrafts construction

Butia purpurascens(Mart) Becc Cabecudo

Leaf fruit (mesocarp seed)peduncular bract inflorescencepalm heart

(7) Food (direct use cooking)handicrafts medicinal ritualbiofuel toxic

Euterpe edulisMart Palmito palmito-do-brejo acaıThe whole plant stipe palmheart fruit (mesocarp seed)leaf peduncular bract

(5) Food (direct use cooking)handicrafts construction ritual

Geonoma pohlianasubsp weddelliana Palmita palmito-merim

The whole plant stipemesocarp seed (5) Food (direct use cooking)

handicrafts construction ritual

Mauritia flexuosa Lf Buriti palm

Fruit (epicarp mesocarp seed)leaf (the whole leaf sheathpetiole new unopened leaf)stipe root

(7) Food (direct use cookingand animal feed) constructionhandicrafts medicinalcosmetic

Mauritiella armata(Mart) Burret Buritirana buriti-merim pati

Stipe palm heart leaf (thewhole leaf petiole) root fruit(mesocarp)

(5) Food (direct use cooking)handicrafts medicinalconstruction

Syagrus comosa(Mart) Mart

Garioba catole gariobagarioba-do-campo garioba da serragariroba-catole coco-catolegariobina-do-cerrado gueirobagariobinha catolezinha garioba-comum

Palm heart fruit (mesocarpendocarp seed) stipe


Syagrus deflexaNoblick and Lorenzi

Licuri da serra coquinho-do-cerradolicurizinho-da-serra coquinho-de-licuricoquinho-da-serra paia-de-nicuri

Leaf fruit (mesocarp endocarpseed) palm heart

(5) Food (direct use)handicrafts constructionbiofuel toxic

Syagrus oleracea(Mart) Becc

Garioba verdadeira gariroba verdadeiragueroba

Peduncular bract fruit(mesocarp endocarp seed)palm heart

(4) Food (direct use cooking)handicrafts biofuel

Syagrusromanzoffiana(Cham) Glassman

Jaroba Fruit (mesocarp seed) palmheart inflorescence

(4) Food (direct use cookingand animal feed) handicrafts

Syagrus rupicolaNoblick and Lorenzi

Catole catole-rasteiro catole-da-serracatolezinho licuri-de-raposacatolezinho coquinho-catolecoquinho-da-serra

peduncular bract mesocarpseed palm heart



Table 4 Number of citations species and parts used for each category of palm use among the Kalunga from the Engenho II communityCavalcante GO central western Brazil

Category of use Number of citations (119899 = 1928) Number of species used (119899 = 16) Number of parts used (119899 = 18)Foodcooking 444 15 6Foodanimal feed 12 3 4Fooddirect use 889 16 8Handicrafts 264 16 12Biofuel 8 4 2Construction 240 11 4Fertilizer 3 1 1Medicinalcosmetic 60 8 10Ritual 19 3 3Toxic 6 3 2

(119899 = 16) are consumed among the Kalungas of the EngenhoII community

Palms provide a variety of food sources for the Kalungapeople Frequently palms are cited as an ldquoemergency foodrdquoreferring to the consumption of fruits and seeds during theplanting seasons and during the long walks between theplantation and the housing

Some food uses are mentioned by the oldest individualsas ldquouses of another erardquo from times when there was no foodand palms provided an alternative way to end hunger Usingthe toasted epicarp to make coffee and extracting starch fromthe pith of the stipe of A aculeata are apparently no longernecessary

The importance of food uses of palms has been noted instudies conducted in different regions [51ndash54] Among theKalungas of the Engenho II community their survival hasbeen linked to the use of palms as food However it is notpossible to know whether the survival of palms is threatenedby the communityrsquos continued use of parts that compromisethe palmsrsquo survival (palm heart) and reproduction (seeds)

332 Use in Handicrafts Among the Kalungas of EngenhoII all palm species of the region (119899 = 16) were cited asused in handicrafts (Table 4) Different parts of the palmsare cited in this category and appear to be useful in a directway (ldquoin naturardquo) or as raw materials for the manufacture ofhandicrafts The use of the peduncular bract of species withunderground stems as spoons and the sheaths of buriti palmsas dustpans are examples of direct use

The Buriti palm (Mauritia flexuosa Lf) contributed thelargest number of parts in this category (7 119899 = 18)and almost all utensils (quibanos sieves tapitis) present inresidences are manufactured from this species Details on theuse of Buriti palm by the Kalungas were described byMartinset al [10]

Handicraft production also identifies communities thatrepresent themselves as ethnic or as Quilombo as this is asource of income and cultural expression [55] Among thegroups of Quilombolas from the Amazon materials derivedfrom nature are commonly used for handicrafts and palmspecies are one common source of these materials [55] Inthe same region the use of palms in handicrafts among

indigenous and river communities is described in the worksof Balick [56ndash59]

In the Cerrado of the Kraho indigenous territory (TO)approximately six of the 17 species of palms identified in theregion provide raw material for handicrafts which are soldin villages and neighboring towns [5 53] In another com-munity of Tocantins M Sousa and A Sousa [60] highlightthe replacement of products manufactured with palms bymore modern products emphasizing the evidence that thissubstitution is related to the accelerated destruction of nativevegetation particularly in the valleys

In the present study while all species were used forhandicrafts most products are made with the Buriti palmpetiole which is collected under the plant after the leaves havefallenThis use is low impact and does not pose any risk to theplantHowever the uses of silk extracted fromyoung leaves ofthe buriti palm and the stipe of theEuterpe edulis (palmheart)tomanufacture beds and doorsmay have negative impacts onthe populations of these species

333 Use in Construction Among the Kalungas 11 speciesare used for construction with Mauritia flexuosa (buritipalm) and Attalea compta (indaia) being the most frequentlycited in this category followed by Attalea eichleri (Pindoba)Euterpe edulis (palm heart)Attalea speciosa (coco-palmeira)and Mauritiella armata (buritirana) The leaves of the buritipalm and indaia are used together to cover houses Theseleaves are gathered under the waning moon but never duringthe newmoon because according to local tradition this is thebest time to collect them to avoid infestations of insects andfungi in the leaves and to produce more durable structuresIn contrast Shanley and Rosa [61] observed that among theCaboclos of Para it is said that the best time to collect theleaves is actually under the newmoon because the leaves willbe less damaged by insects at this time

The use of palms for construction has been observed inethnobotanical studies in various regions of the country [552 54 56 62] with leaves and stipe as the preferred parts forthis category

334 Medicinal Use The Kalungas of Engenho II citedmedicinal use for eight species (Table 5) The following


Table 5 Species cited as medicinal number of citations parts used and therapeutic indications Engenho II community Cavalcante GOcentral western Brazil

Species (number of citations) Part used Therapeutic indication

Acrocomia aculeata (17)Fruit (endocarp oil) Toothache ear diseasesFruit (seed oil) Ear diseasesPalm heart (juice) Antivenom

Allagoptera leucocalyx (2) Palm heart (juice) Ear and digestive system diseasesAttalea compta (8) Fruit (endocarp oil mesocarp and seed) Toothache

Attalea eichleri (3) Leaf (rachis juice) Skin diseases (burning)Fruit (liquid endosperm) Ocular diseases

Butia purpurascens (1) Fruit (mesocarp) Skin diseases (healing)

Mauritia flexuosa (26)

Leaf (petiole juice) AntivenomFruit (mesocarp oil) Antivenom cardiovascular and respiratory diseasesFruit (toasted seed) Reproductive system diseasesRoot Musculoskeletal and rheumatic diseases

Mauritiella armata (6) Stipe Skin diseases (burning)Root Genitourinary system and rheumatic diseases

Syagrus comosa (2) Palm heart (juice) Digestive system diseases

parts are used for medicinal purposes stipe leaf (petiolerachis and whole leaf) fruits (mesocarp endocarp liquidendosperm and seed) roots and palm hearts

Mesocarp oil was the most frequently cited medicinalpart followed by the seed oil palm heart and rootThemaintherapeutic indication of the palms was for the treatment ofrespiratory diseases such as flu and pneumonia The secondmost common use is against snake bites Two species sharethese two uses the Buriti palm (Mauritia flexuosa) andMacauba (Acrocomia aculeata) Two species were used fortooth pain Macauba and Indaia (Attalea compta)

The importance of palms in medicine and pharmacologyis discussed by Sosnowska andBalslev [63] Based on a reviewof the literature over the last 25 years these authors identified106 species of palms in the Americas with medicinal usesIn this study the fruit was the most frequently used partfor medicinal purposes (56 spp) followed by oil (19 spp)mesocarp (16 spp) and the endosperm (11 spp) Other partsof the palmwere alsomentioned including the root (27 spp)the leaves (22 spp) the palmheart (19 spp) the stipe (17 spp)and flowers (9 spp)

335 Other Uses Ritual Fertilizer Biofuel and Toxic UsesAmong the Kalungas of the three species placed in the ritualcategory two (Euterpe edulis and Geonoma pohliana) wereused to create decorative ldquolapinhasrdquo large bows used for theclosure of a traditional religious festival In this festival theplants are placed at the front of the church such that thepeople pass underneath the plants before entering into thereligious space Butia purpurascens leaves were cited by oneinformant as used for incense

In the Amazon region one species of palm (Socrateaexorrhiza) has previously been described as having a ritualuse [54] Among the Kraho Indians two species are in thiscategory (Mauritia flexuosa buriti palm and Oenocarpusdistichus bacaba) [5] The Buriti stipe is used in traditionallog races a practice observed in different indigenous ethnicgroups in the central western region of Brazil

Decomposed Buriti palmpith and stipewere cited as usedfor fertilizer (manure) by three informants Use as a biofuelhas been cited for four species The leaves of three species(Butia purpurascens and Syagrus deflexa Syagrus oleracea)are used to light fires and the dried fruit of Attalea compta(indaia) is used as charcoal

Three palm species were cited as toxic by five informantsConsumption of mesocarp and seedsof Allagoptera leucoca-lyx (licuri-rasteiro-da-mata) Butia purpurascens (cabecudo)and Syagrus deflexa (licuri-da-serra) are contraindicatedbecause they cause stomach painThe liquid of the mesocarppulp of the licuri-da-serra is also contraindicated for peoplewith respiratory diseases

34 The Importance of Palms The most prominent plantfor the Kalunga people of the Engenho II community isMauritia flexuosa (buriti palm) followed by Attalea compta(indaia) Acrocomia aculeata (macauba) Butia purpurascens(cabecudo) Attalea eichleri (pindoba) and Syagrus comosa(gariroba-catole) The buriti palm was the first in 88 of therankings and was present in all of them (100) (Table 6)

The average importance value in this study was 035(plusmn03) with five species showing values above 049 Compar-ing the results of importance values (IVs) with the analysisof salience the most important species are the same inboth analyses (Table 6) and consequently no significantdifferences in the results were observed between themethods(119875 = 01)

Byg and Balslev [2] found differences in the importanceand use of palms between species indicating that specificcharacteristics determine how a species is used and appre-ciated According to these authors many ethnobotanicalstudies assume that the importance of a plant is related to theways that it is used To test this premise we calculated thecorrelation coefficient between the salience and the numberof different uses of the palm species mentioned in the studyThe results indicated a moderate to positive correlation(119903 = 064) demonstrating that the more uses a palm has


Table 6 Salience analysis calculated from the rankings of palmspecies by the Quilombo Kalunga of the Engenho II communityCavalcante GO central western Brazil (in order of salience) IVsimportance values

Species Frequency() Mean Salience

index IVs

Mauritia flexuosa 1000 170 0882 0977Attalea compta 860 278 0599 0841Acrocomia aculeate 814 309 0527 0795Butia purpurascens 674 466 0257 0659Attalea eichleri 500 405 0242 0489Syagrus comosa 337 366 0181 0329Euterpe edulis 326 471 0124 0239Attalea speciosa 291 388 0151 0284Syagrus oleracea 267 413 0126 0261Allagoptera leucocalyx 244 448 0103 0239Syagrus deflexa 186 469 0072 0182Mauritiella armata 163 400 0077 0170Syagrus rupicola 81 400 0039 0079Syagrus romanzoffiana 81 414 0039 0079Allagoptera campestris 12 600 0002 0011Geonoma pohlianasubsp weddelliana 12 600 0002 0011

the greater its cultural importance to the Kalungas of theEngenho II community is

35 Richness and Distribution of Knowledge Ethnobotanicalindexes for the richness and distribution of knowledge amongpalm species were calculated (Table 7) The average usediversity (UDs) was 247 (plusmn129) and the use equitability(UEs) was 052 (plusmn026) The results indicate that the uses ofspecies are distributed almost uniformly among categories

Comparing the results of IVs and salience with thoseof the use diversity (UDs) three of the six most importantspecies showed the highest values of this index Howeverthe species with the lowest IVs (Geonoma pohliana) had thefourth highest use diversity index Considering the numberof different uses for each species the buriti palm (Mauritiaflexuosa) and cabecudo (Butia purpurascens) had the greatestdiversity in categories of use (7 119899 = 10) However Butiapurpurascens showed a low UD value (215) as it was almostexclusively used for making brooms

Regarding the distribution of uses among species thevalues of informant diversity indexes (IDs) indicate that thespecieswith the greatest diversities of usewereAttalea compta(indaia) (7451) Allagoptera leucocalyx (licuri-rasteiro-da-mata) (7405) and Mauritia flexuosa (buriti) (677) Bygand Balslev [2] identified a positive correlation between theinformant diversity (Ids) and the importance of the palmwhich was also observed in the current study The relativelyhigh average value of the informant equitability (IEs 075)indicates that almost all people who know a particular speciesknow relatively the same number of uses (Table 7) Theaverage use consensus among informants (UCs) was 068

Table 7 Summary of the quantitative values capturing the uses andimportance of palm species among the Kalunga of the Engenho IIcommunity Cavalcante GO central western Brazil

Mean value (minmax)

Standarddeviation

Per palm speciesNumber of citations 1928Number of categories 10Use diversity (UDs) 247 (104 48) 129Informant diversity (IDs) 5885 (3267 7526) 1376Informant equitability (IEs) 077 (042 1) 018Use consensus (UCs) 068 (minus009 1) 030Purpose consensus (PCs) 012 (003 039) 008

Per informantNumber of informants 88Number of categories 5 (3 7) 115Number of species used 1284 (5 16) 272Species diversity (SDi) 1002 (426 1371) 233Species equitability (SEi) 073 (031 1) 017

(plusmn03)This indicates that expressive agreement exists amonginformants for most species

On the other hand the average purpose consensus (PCs)value which measures the agreement of the informantsregarding a specific purpose was very low (Table 7)This lowvalue indicates that the informants use the same species fordifferent categories of use Although it had a high importancevalue and many use citations the buriti palm (Mauritiaflexuosa) had the lowest PC value demonstrating a lowdegree of overlap between informants and that many usesof buriti palm are not very popular such as cosmetic usewhich was mentioned only once Additionally statementsby the oldest individuals such as ldquothis was done in difficulttimes to obtain food to eatrdquo show that some uses have beenabandoned

On average the informants know 1265 (plusmn35) species anduse 1284 (plusmn27) (119899 = 16) The numbers of informants whorecognize and use all species of palms are 19 (119899 = 88) and14 (119899 = 88) respectively Based on the 10 use categories inthe present study the average number of categories of useof a species was 49 (plusmn12) The average values of speciesdiversity (SDi) and equitability (SEi) were 1002 (plusmn23) and073 (plusmn02) respectivelyThese values suggest that knowledgeabout the use of palms is relatively high and is well distributedthroughout the community

36 Use and Value of Various Palm Parts The analysis of thepalm parts considered all 18 parts that were cited Howeveronly the results from the five most important parts arepresented here (Table 8)The plant part value (PPV) is a valuegiven to a specific part of the plant

The fruit was the most frequently cited part in eachpalm species The seed and mesocarp were frequently citedfor the food category The fruits of 16 palm species havebeen described as useful by the local population All specieswith a pulpy mesocarp are consumed in natura or used in


Table 8 Value of use index of the different parts (PPV) of palmspecies assigned by theKalunga community Engenho II CavalcanteGO central western Brazil

Species Stipe Leaf Mesocarp Seed Palm heartAcrocomia aculeate 002 mdash 043 045 005Allagoptera campestris mdash 001 025 072 001Allagoptera leucocalyx mdash 002 031 065 002Attalea speciosa 001 024 005 067 mdashAttalea compta 000 036 004 049 006Attalea speciosa mdash 022 005 065 004Butia purpurascens mdash 060 016 014 002Euterpe edulis 051 001 024 007 009Geonoma pohliana 030 mdash 030 007 009Mauritia flexuosa 006 029 046 002 mdashMauritiella armata 021 049 017 001 001Syagrus comosa 001 003 002 011 080Syagrus deflexa mdash 004 027 057 007Syagrus oleracea 003 001 002 029 059Syagrus romanzoffiana mdash mdash 056 030 007Syagrus rupicola mdash mdash 018 075 004Average 008 016 020 036 013Standard deviation 015 020 017 027 024

the manufacture of desserts and in other types of cookingThe following species are highlighted in this group Acroco-mia aculeata (macauba) Mauritia flexuosa (buriti) Syagrusromanzoffiana (jaroba) and Allagoptera leucocalyx (Licurı-rasteiro-da-mata)

The palm seeds are heavily used by the Kalungas of theEngenho II community Many species provide seeds thatare eaten in natura such as Acrocomia aculeata (macauba) Allagoptera campestris (licurı-rasteiro-do-campo) Allagoptera leucocalyx (licurı-rasteiro-da-mata) Syagrus deflexa(licurı-da-serra) and Syagrus rupicola (catole-da-serra)Another group of species have seeds that are also used toextract oil Attalea speciosa (coco-palmeira) Attalea compta(indaia) and Attalea eichleri (pindoba)

Informants also described uses for whole leaves withButia purpurascens (cabecudo) exhibiting the highest valuefor this part followed by Mauritiella armata (buritirana)Attalea compta (indaia) and Mauritia flexuosa (buriti palm)(Table 8) The leaves are used for construction and for themanufacture of handicrafts and household itemsThe specieswith the highest extraction is Butia purpurascens Amongthe Kalungas and in other regions where it occurs its leavesare used to make domestic brooms [64] However in theKalunga region groups of pickers visit the region annually tocollect large amounts of leaves This intense and disorderedextraction may be causing serious damage to the populationsof this species which tend to be aggregated in easily accessiblelocations

The stipe was used in nine species including two forestspecies known to the Kalungas Euterpe edulis and Geonomapohliana subsp weddelliana (Table 8) The stipes of thesetwo species were mentioned by the oldest respondents as a

ldquoformerrdquo use for building roofs and bedsThe fact thatEuterpeedulis is included in the endangered species list in Brazil[65] clearly shows the need for an updated and well-reasonedapproach to this subject within the community

The palm heart was a significant part with 14 speciesproviding useful palm hearts (Table 8) However the Syagrusoleracea (gariroba-verdadeira) and Syagrus comosa (gariroba-catole) palm hearts are preferred for consumption as bothhave a bitter taste that is highly appreciated by the Kalun-gas Unfortunately these two species have solitary stipesand extracting this part kills the palm Throughout thisresearch few individuals of S comosa were observed nearthe community and the only two observed individuals ofS oleracea were growing in the backyard of a residenceSome informants were concerned about possible punishmentfrom environmental agencies because of this practice asdemonstrated in the following sentence ldquowe pick them upbut not toomuch because if the zimbamba see it we will haveproblemrdquo Zimbamba refers to individuals from the ChicoMendes Institute formerly called the IBAMA (BrazilianInstitute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources)

37 Final Considerations

(i) All of the palms present in the region of communityKalunga Engenho II were cited as useful by the infor-mants Species occur in different vegetation typesrupestrian Cerrado gallery forest grassland shrubsavanna and valleys

(ii) Palms were most frequently used for food handi-crafts and construction demonstrating that the useof palms by the Kalunga people did not differ fromthe categories recognized in other studies performedin the Cerrado and in the Amazon All species ofpalms of the area were cited as useful for food andhandicrafts demonstrating their importance for thesurvival of the Kalungas over time The medicinalcategory featured the largest number of differentparts

(iii) The variables gender age and education did notaffect the numbers of plants recognized and used bythe Kalungas However the informant diversity andequitability indexes show that women know moredifferent uses than men although menrsquos knowledge isdistributed more homogeneously

(iv) The indices calculated to evaluate the distributionof the knowledge among the Kalungas demonstratedthat knowledge is well distributed throughout thecommunity The most important palm for the Kalun-gas of the Engenho II is Mauritia flexuosa (buritipalm) This species occurs in the vicinity of the com-munity andwas recognized by all informants Despitethe high number of use citations for this species thediversity use index was low demonstrating that theuses are virtually the same among informants

(v) The palm fruits represent an important source ofvitamins and protein for the local population and all


species (119899 = 16) are sources of food The use of oilseeds was widely cited among the informants but inmany homes it is now being replaced by commercialoils Although many residents have knowledge aboutthe practice of extracting oils all oils identified in theresidences come from other more distant Kalungacommunities

(vi) Use of leaves predominantly occurred in two speciesMauritia flexuosa (buriti palm) and Attalea compta(indaia) The leaves are extracted due to spontaneousdemand in accordance with indications of traditionalknowledge Based on a study conducted in the Jalapaoregion (TO-state) Sampaio et al [9] suggest guide-lines for the sustainable extraction of buriti palmleaves That literature will be incorporated into aldquoGuide of the palms from the Engenho IIrdquo which isin preparation

(vii) The palm hearts of 14 species (119899 = 16) were consumed primarily for family consumption and for fes-tivities in the community Until now it was notpossible to know whether the extraction of palmhearts was related to any business This delicacy isspecial due to its taste and its importance to thewelfare of the Kalunga people The use of the apicalmeristem apparently in response to spontaneousdemand is believed to be affecting the abundanceof some species of palms near this community Thisfinding demonstrates the need for studies related tothe phenology phytosociology and management ofspecies with bitter palm hearts the variety preferredby this community

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interestsregarding the publication of this paper

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to give their thanks to members ofthe Community Association of Engenho Quilombo KalungaII and to the community leaders and local guides especiallyMr Sirilo Santos Rosa Mr Jorge Moreira da Silva Mr JoaoSantos Rosa Mrs Getulia Moreira da Silva Ilma FranciscoMaia and Januaria Moreira de Sena The authors thank AnaPaula Gulias for the map Renata Martins thanks CAPESfor the scholarship that allowed her to pursue a doctorateat the Deanship of Research at the University of Brasiliathe ISPN (Institute for Society Population and Nature) forsupporting the completion of the field work the CNPq forpost doctorate project process no 5577182009-0 coordinatedby Dr Christopher Fagg and for the research productivitygrant given to UPA

References

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in Economic Botany vol 6 pp 56ndash64 1988[2] A Byg andH Balslev ldquoDiversity and use of palms in Zahamena

eastern Madagascarrdquo Biodiversity and Conservation vol 10 no6 pp 951ndash970 2001

[3] A Byg J Vormisto and H Balslev ldquoUsing the useful charac-teristics of used palms in south-eastern Ecuadorrdquo EnvironmentDevelopment and Sustainability vol 8 no 4 pp 495ndash506 2006

[4] M T Campos and C Ehringhaus ldquoPlant virtues are in the eyesof the beholders a comparison of known palm uses amongindigenous and folk communities of southwestern amazoniardquoEconomic Botany vol 57 no 3 pp 324ndash344 2003

[5] A T Nascimento A A Santos R C Martins and T A BDias ldquoComunidade de palmeiras no territorio indıgena krahotocantins brasil biodiversidade e aspectos etnobotanicosrdquoInterciencia vol 34 no 3 pp 182ndash188 2009

[6] N Y P Zambrana A Byg J-C Svenning M Moraes CGrandez and H Balslev ldquoDiversity of palm uses in the westernAmazonrdquo Biodiversity and Conservation vol 16 no 10 pp2771ndash2787 2007

[7] R C Mendonca J M Felfili B M T Walter et al ldquoFloravascular do cerradordquo inCerrado Ecologia e Flora Embrapa EdEmbrapa-Cpac Planaltina Brazil 2008

[8] J F Ribeiro and B M T Walter ldquoAs principais fitofisionomiasdo bioma cerradordquo in Cerrado Ecologia e Flora S M Sano S PAlmeida and J F Ribeiro Eds pp 153ndash212 Embrapa BrasıliaBrazil 2008

[9] M B Sampaio I B Schmidt and I B Figueiredo ldquoHarvestingeffects and population ecology of the Buriti palm (Mauritiaflexuosa L f Arecaceae) in the Jalapao Region Central BrazilrdquoEconomic Botany vol 62 no 2 pp 171ndash181 2008

[10] R C Martins T S Filgueiras and U P de AlbuquerqueldquoEthnobotany of mauritia flexuosa (arecaceae) in a marooncommunity in central brazilrdquo Economic Botany vol 66 no 1pp 91ndash98 2012

[11] M C M Amoroso ldquoUso e diversidade de plantas medicinaisem Santo Antonio do Leverger MT Brasilrdquo in Acta BotanicaBrasilica vol 16 pp 189ndash203 2002

[12] E Rodrigues and E A Carlini ldquoPlants used by a Quilombolagroup in Brazil with potential central nervous system effectsrdquoPhytotherapy Research vol 18 no 9 pp 748ndash753 2004

[13] E A P Franco andR FM Barros ldquoUso e diversidade de plantasmedicinais no Quilombo Olho Drsquoagua dos Pires EsperantinaPiauırdquo Revista Brasileira De Plantas Medicinais vol 8 no 3 pp78ndash88 2006

[14] E Rodrigues ldquoPlants of restricted use indicated by threecultures in Brazil (Caboclo-river dweller Indian and Quilom-bola)rdquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 111 no 2 pp 295ndash302 2007

[15] M O S Crepaldi and A L Peixoto ldquoUse and knowledge ofplants by ldquoQuilombolasrdquo as subsidies for conservation effortsin an area of Atlantic forest in Espırito Santo State BrazilrdquoBiodiversity and Conservation vol 19 no 1 pp 37ndash60 2009

[16] IBGE ldquoCenso 2010rdquo httpcodibgegovbr4p9[17] R S A Anjos Quilombos Geografia AfricanamdashCartografia

EtnicamdashTerritorios Tradicionais Mapas Editora amp ConsultoriaBrasılia Brazil 2009

[18] A Silva Kalunga Identidade etnica de uma comunidaderemanescente de quilombos [MS thesis] Amsterdam-HollandAmsterdam The Netherlands 1999

[19] A D VellozoMapeamento narrativas uma analise do processohistorico-espacial da comunidade do engenho IImdashkalunga [MSthesis] Universidade de Brasılia 2007


[20] D Jatoba A comunidade kalunga e a interpelacao do estado dainvisibilidade a identidade polıtica [MS thesis] Universidade deBrasılia 2002

[21] MN Baiocchi ldquoCalungamdashkalumba universo culturalrdquoRevistaDo Instituto Historico e Geografico de Goias vol 11 pp 75ndash851986

[22] D B Ungarelli A comunidade quilombola kalunga do engenhoII cultura producao de alimentos e ecologia de sabers [MSthesis] Universidade de Brasılia 2009

[23] M G Almeida ldquoTerritorios de quilombolas pelos vaos e serrasdos Kalunga de Goiasmdashpatrimonio e biodiversidade de sujeitosdo Cerradordquo Atelie Geografico vol 4 no 9 pp 36ndash63 2010

[24] N P Massarotto Diversidade e uso de plantas medicinais porcomunidades quilombolas e urbanas no nordeste goiano doestado de goias-go Brasil [MS thesis] Universidade de Brasilia2008

[25] A C G R Neiva J R B Sereno S A Santos and M C S Fio-ravanti ldquoCaracterizacao cultural da comunidade quilombolakalunga de cavalcante-goias brasil dados preliminaresrdquo in IXSimposio Nacional Cerrado II Simposio Internacional SavanasTropicais 2008

[26] U P Albuquerque ldquoEtnobotanica aplicada para a conservacaoda biodiversidaderdquo in Metodos e Tecnicas Na PesquisaEtnobotanica U P Albuquerque R F P Lucena and L FV Cunha Eds pp 227ndash240 ComunigrafNUPEEA RecifeBrazil 2008

[27] A Henderson G Galeano and R Bernal Field Guide to thePalms of the Americas Princeton University Princeton NJUSA 1995

[28] R C Martins and T S Filgueiras ldquoArecaceaerdquo in Flora DoDistrito Federal T A B Cavalcanti Ed pp 47ndash82 2006

[29] H Lorenzi L Noblick F Kahn and E Ferreira FloraBrasileira Arecaceae (Palmeiras) Instituto Plantarum NovaOdessa Brazil 2010

[30] P M Medeiros A L S Almeida R F P Lucena F J BSouto and U P Albuquerque ldquoThe role of visual stimuliin ethnobotanical surveys an overviewrdquo in Current Topics inEthnobotany U PAlbuquerque andMARamos Eds pp 125ndash137 Research Signpost Kerala India 2008

[31] P M Medeiros A L S Almeida R F P Lucena F J B Soutoand U P Albuquerque ldquoUso de estımulos visuais na pesquisaetnobiologicardquo inMetodos e Tecnicas Na Pesquisa EtnobotanicaU P Albuquerque R F P Lucena and L V F C Cunha Edspp 109ndash126 ComunigrafNUPEEA Recife Brazil 2008

[32] U P Albuquerque P M Medeiros T A S Araujo et alldquoThe role of ethnobotany and environmental perception inthe conservation of atlantic forest fragments in NortheasternBrazilrdquo Bioremediation Biodiversity and Bioavailability vol 2no 1 pp 27ndash34 2008

[33] G J Martin Ethnobotany aMethodsManual vol 33 Chapmanamp Hall New York NY USA 1994

[34] M N Alexiades and J W Sheldon Selected Guidelines for Eth-nobotanical Research a Field Manual The New York BotanicalGarden New York NY USA 1996

[35] M L T Nguyen ldquoComparison of food plant knowledgebetween urban vietnamese living in vietnam and in HawairsquoirdquoEconomic Botany vol 57 no 4 pp 472ndash480 2003

[36] E Thomas I Vandebroek and P Van Damme ldquoWhat works inthe field A comparison of different interviewing methods inethnobotany with special reference to the use of photographsrdquoEconomic Botany vol 61 no 4 pp 376ndash384 2007

[37] M Ayres D L Ayres Junior and A A S Santos BioEstatAplicacoes Estatısticas Nas Areas Das Ciencias BiomedicasSociedade Civil Mamiraua Belem Brazil 2005

[38] S C Rossato H D F Leitao-Filho and A Begossi ldquoEthnob-otany of caicaras of the atlantic forest coast (Brazil)rdquo EconomicBotany vol 53 no 4 pp 387ndash395 1999

[39] N Hanazaki J Y Tamashiro H F Leitao-Filho and A BegossildquoDiversity of plant uses in two caicara communities from theAtlantic forest coast Brazilrdquo Biodiversity and Conservation vol9 no 5 pp 597ndash615 2000

[40] T M Miranda and N Hanazaki ldquoConhecimento e uso derecursos vegetais de restinga por comunidades das ilhas doCardoso (SP) e de Santa Catarina (SC) Brasilrdquo Acta BotanicaBrasilica vol 22 no 1 pp 203ndash215 2008

[41] S P Borgatti and M A Natick Anthropac vol 32 AnalyticTechnologies 1992

[42] V A Silva U P Albuquerque and V T Nascimento ldquoTecnicaspara analise de dados etnobotanicosrdquo in Metodos E TecnicasNa PEsquisa Etnobotanicos U P Albuquerque R F P Lucenaand L V F C Cunha Eds pp 127ndash144 ComunigrafNUPEEARecife Brazil 2008

[43] A Gomez-Beloz ldquoPlant use knowledge of theWinikinaWaraothe case for questionnaires in Ethnobotanyrdquo Economic Botanyvol 56 no 3 pp 231ndash241 2002

[44] IUCN ldquoIUCN standards and petitions subcommittee Guide-lines for using the IUCN red list categories and criteriaVersion 9 0rdquo Standards and Petitions Subcommittee 2011httpwwwiucnredlistorgdocumentsRedListGuidelinespdf

[45] E Pastore N C Polese and L M O Pastore ldquoO papel damulher na agricultura diversificada e agroecologica influenciase mudancas nas relacoes de generordquo 2012 httpwwwfazendo-genero7ufscbrartigosPPastore-Polese-Pastore 37pdf

[46] R J CaseG F Pauli andDD Soejarto ldquoFactors inmaintainingindigenous knowledge among ethnic communities of ManusIslandrdquo Economic Botany vol 59 no 4 pp 356ndash365 2005

[47] R A Voeks and A Leony ldquoForgetting the forest assessingmedicinal plant erosion in eastern BrazilrdquoEconomic Botany vol58 supplement 1 pp S294ndashS306 2004

[48] A F M Viu M A O Viu and L Z O Campos ldquoEtnobotanicauma questao de generordquo Revista Brasileira De Agroecologia vol5 no 1 pp 138ndash147 2010

[49] E J Luoga E T F Witkowski and K Balkwill ldquoDifferentialutilization and ethnobotany of trees in kitulanghalo forestreserve and surrounding communal lands Eastern TanzaniardquoEconomic Botany vol 54 no 3 pp 328ndash343 2000

[50] A Byg and H Balslev ldquoFactors affecting local knowledge ofpalms in Nangaritza valley in south-eastern Ecuadorrdquo Journalof Etnhnobiology vol 24 pp 255ndash278 2004

[51] G T Prance W Balee B M Boom and R L NarneiroldquoQuantitative ethnobotany and the case for conservation inAmazoniardquo Conservation Biology vol 1 pp 296ndash310 1987

[52] C R Clement E Lleras Perez and J Van Leeuwen ldquoOpotencialdas palmeiras tropicais no Brasil acertos e fracassos das ultimasdecadasrdquo Agrociencias Montevideu vol 9 no 1-2 pp 67ndash712005

[53] A T Nascimento ldquoRiqueza e etnobotanica de palmeiras noterritorio indıgena Kraho tocantins Brasilrdquo FLORESTA vol40 no 1 pp 209ndash220 2010

[54] F R AraujoM A Lopes andDM Rodrigues ldquoCaracterizacaodo uso de palmeiras (arecaceae) no mosaico de unidadesde conservacao (MUC) lago de tucuruımdashparardquo Cadernos deAgroecologia vol 6 no 2 2011


[55] A J P Amaral ldquoArtesanato Quilombola identidade e etnici-dade na amazoniardquo Cadernos do CEOM vol 23 no 31 2010

[56] M J Balick ldquoEconomic Botany of the Guahibo I PalmaerdquoEconomic Botany vol 33 no 4 pp 361ndash376 1979

[57] M J Balick ldquoEthnobotany of palms in the NeotropicsrdquoAdvances in Economic Botany vol 1 pp 9ndash23 1984

[58] M J Balick The PalmmdashTree of Life Biology Utilization andConservation New York Botanical Garden Bronx NY USA1986

[59] M J Balick ldquoThe use of palms by the apinaye and guajajaraIndians of northeastern Brasilrdquo Advances in Economic Botanyvol 6 pp 65ndash90 1988

[60] M R S Sousa and A J Sousa ldquoVestıgios artesanais nabiodiversidade e plasticidade do Buritirdquo in II Congresso dePesquisa e Inovacao de Rede Norte e Nordeste de InovacaoTecnologica 2007

[61] P Shanley andN A Rosa ldquoEroding knowledge an ethnobotan-ical inventory in eastern Amazoniarsquos logging frontierrdquo EconomicBotany vol 58 no 2 pp 135ndash160 2004

[62] R C Martins T S Filgueiras and S P Almeida ldquoAs palmeirasda regiao do parque nacional grande sertao veredas (PNGSV)uso e sustentabilidade no cerradordquo in 54∘Congresso Nacional deBotanica 2003

[63] J Sosnowska and H Balslev ldquoAmerican palm ethnomedicine ameta-analysisrdquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol5 article 43 2009

[64] A C Marcato Revisao taxonomica do genero butia (Becc) Becce filogenia da subtribo butiinae saakov (palmae) [PhD thesis]Universidade de Sao Paulo 2004

[65] MMA Lista Oficial das Especies da Flora Brasileira Ameacadasde Extincao 2008

Submit your manuscripts athttpwwwhindawicom

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Anatomy Research International

PeptidesInternational Journal of


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International Journal of

Volume 2014

Zoology


Molecular Biology International

GenomicsInternational Journal of


The Scientific World JournalHindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014


BioinformaticsAdvances in

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Signal TransductionJournal of


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Evolutionary BiologyInternational Journal of



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ArchaeaHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014


Genetics Research International


Advances in

Virolog y

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom

Nucleic AcidsJournal of

Volume 2014

Stem CellsInternational



Enzyme Research



Microbiology


(i) What is the diversity of palms known and used by aQuilombola community of the Brazilian Cerrado

(ii) Do the gender age and education of the respondentsinfluence their recognition and use of palm species

(iii) Which palms are the favorites of the local communityand which parts of those palms are the most impor-tant

2 Materials and Methods

21 Area of the Study The field work was conducted ina Quilombola community in Goias State The populationof Goias is approximately 1847671 (married people over10 years old) [16] distributed among 246 cities The 73Quilombola communities in Goias are distributed among24 cities Cavalcante is home to the greatest number ofQuilombola communities (23) followed byMonteAlegre (15)and Teresina de Goias (6) [17] People from the Quilombolacommunities in these three cities are called Kalungas orCalungas

For the Kalunga people the name Kalunga refers toa stream that passes near the Contenda farmland In thepast many people did not like to be referred to as Kalungabecause it was synonymous with witchcraft and lazinessHowever many became proud of this identity when theirpresence on the land became legalized [18 19] The Kalungaterritory was established by Africans and African-Brazilianswho escaped from slavery and remained in the region afterthe decline of mining and the abolition of slavery The freedslave population from other areas also migrated to the regionlooking for land to cultivate to enable an autonomous and freeexistence [20]

The Kalungas lived for 200 years isolated in the valleysof the tributaries of the Parana river and on the edges ofthe ldquoChapada dos Veadeirosrdquo and formed various groupswith four main large groups located in Vao de AlmasContenda Vao doMoleque and Ribeirao dos Bois and othersmaller groupings located in Riachao Sucuri Saco GrandeVolta do Canto Olha drsquoagua Ema Taboca Corrego FundoTerra Vermelha Lagoa Porcos Brejao Fazendinha VargemGrande Engenho II Funil Capela and a dozen other places[19]

The Kalungas were scientifically discovered in 1982 bythe anthropologist Mari de Nazare Baiocchi Prior to thistime theKalungas practiced subsistence living planting to eatand exchanging products such as cassava flour leather andmangaba for fabrics salt and other supplies in neighboringtownsThe ldquodiscoveryrdquo of the Kalungas led them to obtain thelegal right to own their land preventing land invaders fromdisplacing them [21]

The area of the Historic Kalunga Site was registeredby Law No 11406 on January 21 1991 and regulated byLaw No 19 on January 5 1996 A large part of this scenicterritory consists of mountains with extensive steep areaslarge valleys and many rivers Only 30 of this area is arable[19] and accessing many communities is difficult

The area of the Kalunga territory is a well-preservedCerrado region especially in areas with steep topographies

featuring hillsides and mountain ranges The area featuresextensive palm groves and valleys andmost of the communi-ties are located near rivers creeks and streams Their housesare constructed from adobe with palm leaf roofs and packedearth floorsThese communities practice simple lifestyles forexample using wood stoves Some communities (Engenho IIand Vao doMoleque) have received benefits from the federalgovernment and many residents in those communities haveacquired new homes built with masonry and with clayroofs

The social organization of these communities is typicallycentered around family relationships [18] The family isthe basic unit of society in which people help each otherand the ethical and cultural values of the community arepassed on These communities have cycles of events basedon the planting and harvesting times The Cerrado featurestwo defined seasons (wet summer and dry winter) andthese seasons determine the time spent cultivating the land[19 22]

The Kalunga community lives by subsistence agricultureincluding husbandry of cattle pigs and poultry and extrac-tion of Cerrado fruits (watermelon banana) vegetables andmedicinal plants cultivated in home gardens and orchards[22ndash24] The main crops are corn (90 of families) followedby beans (80) cassava (70) rice (50) pumpkin (50)and sugar cane (40) [25]

Approximately 60 of residents use cassava to produceflour which is one of the most economically importantproducts for these communities [25] Kalunga gardens arestrategically important due to their growth and maintenanceof a wide variety of plants [22]

The Kalunga territory borders Tocantins state occupyingan area of approximately 2532 thousand hectares at thefollowing geographic coordinates from 13∘201015840 to 13∘271015840 southlatitude and from 47∘101015840 to 47∘201015840 west latitude from Green-wich This territory is located in the Chapada dos Veadeirosarea northeast of Goias state 600 km from Goiania and330 km from BrasiliaThe region borders the following citiesMonte Alegre de Goias Terezina de Goias and Cavalcante(Figure 1)

This study examines the Kalunga community EngenhoII This community is located 27 km from the municipalityof Cavalcante and is accessed via an unpaved road thatreaches the center of the community (13∘ 341015840 5710158401015840 S and 47∘281015840 2110158401015840W) The houses of the residents are built of mixedmaterials including adobe and masonry and have roofsmade of buriti leaves and clay tiles At the end of this researchthe community consisted of approximately 100 homes andapproximately 550 residents

The residents of the Engenho II practice subsistenceagriculture and participate in the regional market eventuallyas employees selling or exchanging products The cultivatedareas are far from the farmhouses of the community Someresidents engage in a small amount of commerce by sellingsnacks and preparing meals to order Some Kalungas arepublic employees and several are tour guides One of themain income-generating activities in this community is therural tourism with attractions including waterfalls hikingand homemade food















































IDs = 1sum1198752119894

119875119894






























0

50

100

150

200

250

300

A a

culea

taA

com

pta

A ca

mpe

stris

A ei

chler

iA

Leu

coca

lyxA

spec

iosa

B ca

pita

taE

edul

isG

poh

liana

M a

rmat

aM

flex

uosa

S co

mos

aS

defl

exa

S o

lerac

eaS

rom

anzo

ffian

aS

rupi

cola




































































































index IVs







Mean value (minmax)

Standarddeviation





























Acknowledgments


References












































































Volume 2014

Zoology






















Advances in

Virolog y



Volume 2014




Enzyme Research



Microbiology















































IDs = 1sum1198752119894

119875119894






























0

50

100

150

200

250

300

A a

culea

taA

com

pta

A ca

mpe

stris

A ei

chler

iA

Leu

coca

lyxA

spec

iosa

B ca

pita

taE

edul

isG

poh

liana

M a

rmat

aM

flex

uosa

S co

mos

aS

defl

exa

S o

lerac

eaS

rom

anzo

ffian

aS

rupi

cola




































































































index IVs







Mean value (minmax)

Standarddeviation





























Acknowledgments


References












































































Volume 2014

Zoology






















Advances in

Virolog y



Volume 2014




Enzyme Research



Microbiology














0

50

100

150

200

250

300

A a

culea

taA

com

pta

A ca

mpe

stris

A ei

chler

iA

Leu

coca

lyxA

spec

iosa

B ca

pita

taE

edul

isG

poh

liana

M a

rmat

aM

flex

uosa

S co

mos

aS

defl

exa

S o

lerac

eaS

rom

anzo

ffian

aS

rupi

cola




































































































index IVs







Mean value (minmax)

Standarddeviation





























Acknowledgments


References












































































Volume 2014

Zoology






















Advances in

Virolog y



Volume 2014




Enzyme Research



Microbiology
































































































index IVs







Mean value (minmax)

Standarddeviation





























Acknowledgments


References












































































Volume 2014

Zoology






















Advances in

Virolog y



Volume 2014




Enzyme Research



Microbiology






















Acknowledgments


References












































































Volume 2014

Zoology






















Advances in

Virolog y



Volume 2014




Enzyme Research



Microbiology
























































Volume 2014

Zoology






















Advances in

Virolog y



Volume 2014




Enzyme Research



Microbiology

research article use and diversity of palm (arecaceae...

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