Botanical Analysis of the Baroque Art on the Eastern Adriatic Coast, South Croatia.

The analysis of plants featured in Baroque artworks on the eastern Adriatic coast has not previously been the subject of an in-depth study. The study of plant iconography in Baroque sacred artworks, which are mostly paintings, was carried out in eight churches and monasteries on the Pelješac peninsula in southern Croatia. Taxonomic interpretation of the painted flora on 15 artworks led to the identification of 23 different plant taxa (species or genera) belonging to 17 families.

Insular Pharmacopoeias: Ethnobotanical Characteristics of Medicinal Plants Used on the Adriatic Islands.

The Adriatic islands in Croatia, usually divided into two archipelagos - the Kvarner and Dalmatian islands - is one of the largest groups of islands in Europe. Over 40 islands are still inhabited. Unfortunately the traditional use of medicinal plants was never properly documented there.

Plants in alcoholic beverages on the Croatian islands, with special reference to rakija travarica.

Background: This paper aims to record the species used for flavouring and making alcoholic drinks, mainly rakija, on the islands of the Adriatic (Croatia).

Methods: Our data comes from 295 interviews performed on 36 islands, in both the Dalmatian and Kvarner areas of the Adriatic.

Results: Altogether, 114 species are used-46% from wild locations only, 15% both wild and cultivated, 38% only cultivated and two species are imported.

The ethnobotany and biogeography of wild vegetables in the Adriatic islands.

Background: Archipelagos of islands have played an important role in shaping some of the paradigms of biology, including the theory of the evolution of species. Later, their importance in biology was further emphasised by the theory of island biogeography, which contributed to a better understanding of the shaping of species richness not only on real islands, but on isolated habitat islands as well. Although ethnobotany is a well-established discipline, patterns of knowledge about plant uses in archipelagos have never been quantitatively analysed, and the whole concept has been only briefly mentioned in the ethnobiological context.

A hundred years of change in wild vegetable use in southern Herzegovina.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Wild vegetable mixes used in southern Europe are interesting from the pharmacological point of view, as they contain many species which have considerable nutritional and medicinal value, but some are potentially toxic to humans. Although many ethnobotanical studies document the rich tradition of using wild vegetables at the turn of the 20th and 21st century in the Mediterranean region, there is a dearth of older historical studies which could help us to assess the extent of Traditional Knowledge loss.

Material And Methods: The aim of this study was to document the use of wild foods in an area of southern Herzegovina (in Bosnia-Herzegovina) and to compare it with a list of 27 taxa of wild green vegetables used there, compiled in 1913 by Vejsil Ćurčić.

Wild vegetable mixes sold in the markets of Dalmatia (southern Croatia).

Background: Dalmatia is an interesting place to study the use of wild greens as it lies at the intersection of influence of Slavs, who do not usually use many species of wild greens, and Mediterranean culinary culture, where the use of multiple wild greens is common. The aim of the study was to document the mixtures of wild green vegetables which are sold in all the vegetable markets of Dalmatia.

Methods: All vendors (68) in all 11 major markets of the Dalmatian coast were interviewed.