Native myrtaceae trees in the daily life of family agroecosystems in Serra dos Tapes, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Abstract

The selection, domestication and adaptation of plant species for centuries has generated accumulation
of knowledge, which forms the basis of ethnobotany and has been suffering from
an erosion process. The family Myrtaceae has about 5,774 species, (979 in Brazil and 89 in
Rio Grande do Sul) occurring in all continents, in the most diverse habitats. The uses attributed
to tree species of the family Myrtaceae were studied from the perspective of four peasants in
the municipality of Pelotas/RS, in the region known as Serra dos Tapes. The food, wood, energy
and medicinal uses of 14 species were investigated, and the most cited use among the four
interviews was food, with 35 citations for 12 species.