Edible plant species in rangeland ecosystems of N. Greece

A great number of botanical taxa exists in the rangelands of Greece. The main use of these taxa is for animal feed as well as for wild life. A lot of rangeland plants are used for ornamental purposes, in turfgrasses for aesthetic and functional reasons, in medicine, in apiculture, as energy plants as well as for reclamation of disturbed areas. Besides these uses, native taxa of rangelands constituted human food since prehistoric time. Some of these species improved and became crops with agricultural development, other disappeared from human diet while some other are still collected for gastronomic purposes in various local cuisines. The interest for Mediterranean diet, which has developed recently, will probably increase the demand for the edible wild plants that have been a part of this diet. The objective of this study was the investigation and the report of the wild edible plants of rangeland ecosystems in northern Greece. Beside the well known Taraxacum sp., many other wild edible plants exist in various rangeland types like Vaccinium myrtillus, Asparagus acutifolius, Lactuca serriola, Sisymbrium officinale, Papaver sp. and Capsella bursa-pastoris.