Table 3.
Domestic, handicraft and miscellaneous uses of plants in some areas of Calabria (Southern Italy)
| Family, scientific name, local name (voucher specimen) | Used Part | Use | Preparation/Administration | N * | Locality | Habitat |
| ACERACEAE | ||||||
| Acer sp. – occhjiajnu | W | To make spoons | 1 | CI | Ma, Mewo | |
| ANACARDIACEAE | ||||||
| Pistacia lentiscus L. – scinu CLU1 | Fr,Ap | Ointment | Oil for lamps | 5 | CI | |
| Ap | It was used to make brooms and during the funerals in the past | For the use in funerals the leafy branches were put between the coffin and the dead men in order to allow that the corpse could be preserved for a long time | 5 | CI | Tema | |
| APOCYNACEAE | ||||||
| Nerium oleander L. | Br | To make the sling (better with olive-tree) | 1 | AR | To, he | |
| ARALIACEAE | ||||||
| Hedera helix L. – L'edira (CI) | Le | To wash hairs (they become shining) | Infusion | 1 | CT | Wo, wa |
| CARIOPHYLLA-CEAE | ||||||
| Saponaria officinalis L. – saponaria | Le, ro | Detergent | Plant parts were used by the farmers instead of the soap | 2 | MT, SE | Da, ru |
| CHENOPODIACEAE | ||||||
| Spinacia oleracea L. – spinaci | Ap | To make the garments of black wool shining and bright | To rinse the garments with cooking water | 1 | AC | |
| COMPOSITAE | ||||||
| Cynara cardunculus L. subsp. scolymus (L.) Hayek | Le | To make shining dark clothes | Decoction | 1 | AC | Cu |
| Inula viscosa (L.) Aiton – spulitru CLU7 | Ap | To make brooms | It was collected by elderly people | 5 | CI | Unc, ru caso |
| Matricaria chamomilla L. – galumedda, camomilla | Fh | To wash blond hairs | Decoction | 1 | CS | Cu, ru |
| CORNACEAE | ||||||
| Cornus sanguinea L. – russula, sanguinella | W | To make tools for kitchen (spoons, goblets etc.) and collars for goats | 1 | CI | Wo, edwo | |
| EUPHORBIACEAE | ||||||
| Euphorbia amygdaloides L. – tutumagghu – CLU11 | La | Child practice | Children used to spread with latex wounds or mucous membranes, only to widen that part and as test of endurance of the pain. The latex provokes swelling of the sex male organ, with persistent pain | 5 | CI | Oawo* |
| FAGACEAE | ||||||
| Castanea sativa Miller – castagno CLU12 | Frb | To wash the hairs | Decoction | 2 | MT, SE | Oawo* |
| GRAMINEAE | ||||||
| Arundo donax L. – canna CLU14 | St | Stake in kitchen gardens/vineyards | 5 | CI | Di, edwa | |
| St | To make baskets (see Olea europaea subsp. oleaster) | 1 | CI | |||
| HYPOLEPIDACEAE | ||||||
| Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn – filici CLU16 | Ap | It was used for its aroma by the herdsmen to wrap dairy products | 5 | CI | Cle,da, edro | |
| JUGLANDACEAE | ||||||
| Juglans regia L. – noce CLU17 | Hu | To dye hairs | Infusion or decoction | 5 | CI | Wo, di |
| LABIATAE | ||||||
| Salvia officinalis L. CLU21 | Le | It was used to obtain white teeth | Leaves were rubbed on the teeth | 5 | CI | Drme, ru |
| LEGUMINOSAE | ||||||
| Lupinus albus L. – lupino | Ep | Fertilizer | It's buried underground in the vineyards because it "would strengthen" the grapevines | 1 | AC | Cu, ru |
| Phaseolus vulgaris L. – fagiuoli | Se | To wash woollen and cotton coloured clothes | Decoction with pods and shelled beans to brighten up and to fix the colours | 1 | AC | |
| Spartium junceum L. CLU23 | Br | Domestic and agricultural use | To make brooms and laces for vines | 5 | CI | |
| Br | Domestic use | To make brooms, hides and shelters for cattle | 5 | SC, CT, SS, SG | ||
| Br | Textile use | In the first post-war period, not having available enough clothes, the branches of the broom were weaved. The plant, after gathering, was kept in the running water of torrents ("fiumare"); then it was beaten on the stones of these streams, and was dried in the sun. Successively it was combed to extract an excellent fibre, the one that the elder women wove for their family. Also bags and carpets were made with it. | 5 | CI | ||
| MORACEAE | ||||||
| Ficus carica L. CLU28 | Fr ('pas-si-luni'), | Magical use: for being sure not come in contact with snakes for an entire year. If in the case, snakes would not bitten | Fruits gathered on the ground or dried to the sun were kept by grandmothers and given to eat in May 1° rigorously (this practice assured what exposed in 'use') | 5 | CI | Ru, wa |
| OLEACEAE | ||||||
| Olea europaea L. | Br | To make the sling and spoons | 1 | AR | Cu | |
| Olea europaea L. subsp. oleaster (Hoffmans & Link) Negodi – u ghjastru | Br | Baskets for bread, desserts, clothes for washing; "sporte", containers for vintage; "panàri", baskets to gather fruit, once indispensable trousseau of brides | Baskets are made together with Arundo donax slices and Clematis vitalba stems. Reeds are gathered in January and cut to strips in August. In this month C. vitalba and wild olive-tree young branches ("vrinchi") are collected and put in water for 2 days. The higher edges of the baskets are made with the branches of wild olive-tree. | 1 | CI | Ma |
| Phillyrea latifolia L. | W | To make collars for animals; good fuel | See proverbs in the text | 5 | CI | Ma |
| RANUNCULACEAE | ||||||
| Clematis vitalba L. – viteriva | St | To make baskets (see Olea europaea subsp. oleaster) | 1 | CI | Wo, ma | |
| ROSACEAE | ||||||
| Pyrus communis L. – pero; pirajnu (the wild pear tree) | W | To make the dish ("coppa") of the poor men. Also the wood of wild pear tree was used. | A big trunk was chosen, it was divided in half along its axis and then it was carved with some tools ("gajru" and "martelletta"). This wood was very hard. | 1 | CI | Cu |
| SALICACEAE | ||||||
| Populus sp. | W | To make collars for cows | 1 | CI | Edwa | |
| Salix sp. | W | To make collars for cows (if poplar not was found) | 1 | CI | Edwa | |
| SCROPHULARIA-CEAE | ||||||
| Verbascum thapsus L. V. phlomoides L. – tassu | Le | To make wicks for oil lamps | 2 | MT, SE | Drme | |
| St | They were used to light the fire in old ovens for the bread | 2 | MT,SE | |||
| UMBELLIFERAE | ||||||
| Ferula communis L. – feddurazzu CLU39 | St | To make bungs for barrels, flasks and sculptures; once it was also used by the artisans to make chairs and baskets | The dry stem is cut by the farmers. It is employed still today from the elderly in the local handicraft | 2 | CI | Ru, ro, unc |
| Pimpinella anisum L. – anice | Fr | They can be used as bait | Food for fishes | 1 | AC | Cu |
| URTICACEAE | ||||||
| Parietaria officinalis L., P. diffusa Mert. et Koch. – erba vetriola | Ap | To clean glasses, bottles and demijohns put in pulping | To rub the aerial part with water | 4 | MT, SE CT, SS | |
| Urtica dioica L. – ardicela CLU40 | Ap | To wash clothes and wools | Decoction | 2 | MT,SE | |
| VERBENACEAE | ||||||
| Vitex agnus castus L. – vrigna marina CLU41 | Br | Farmers utilized them to make peculiar baskets ("sporteddi") | Dry branches | 5 | CI | Da, sa, to |
| VITACEAE | ||||||
| Vitis vinifera L. – vite | Br | Branches ("sarmienti") to soothe the pain (magical ritual) | An odd number of trimmed shoots (or their decoction) to put on the stomach of the patient | 1 | AC | Cu |
* = citations
Localities: AC Acri; AR Ardore; CI Cirò; CS Castrovillari; CT Cittanova; MT Montauro; SC Scilla; SE S.Elia; SG S.Giorgio Morgeto; SS S.Stefano di Aspromonte
Plant parts used: Ap aerial part; Ep entire plant; Fh flower heads; Fr fruit; Frb fruit bark; Hu husk; La latex; Le leaves; Ro root; Se seeds; St stem; W wood.
Habitat: Caso calcareous soils near to the water; Cle clearings; Cu cultivated species or cultivations; Da damp areas; Di ditches; Drme dry meadows; Edro edges of roads; Edwa edges of water-courses; Edwo edges of woods; He hedges; Ma maquises; Mewo mesophile woods; Oawo* oak woods included Q. cerris woods; Ro rocks; Ru ruins; Sa sandy places (grounds); Tema termophile maquises; To along torrents; Unc uncultivated areas; Wa walls; Wo woods.