Foreword

Later the Council and Executive Committee of ISHS have agreed to accept publication in Acta Horticulturae. Recently I received a copy of the book on Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics published by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1987 giving also information on some of the species mentioned in this survey. It means that our publication certainly will give an incentive to improve contacts and discussions between our members and other scientists in tropical and subtropical regions of the world and to try to reach agreement on the nomenclature and spelling of latin names. Of course this should also be obtained for common names, for which to my opinion the names used in the country of origin should be used. But unfortunately many plants and trees are not bounded to countries or regions with only one language.

I sincerely hope that this survey, made with the many scientists mentioned in the acknowledgements, will be the beginning of a worldwide cooperation and ab exchange of information between interested scientists in all continents with tropical or subtropical regions.


Ir. H.H. van der Borg
Secretary Generak


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This survey is based upon the information supplied by horticultural scientists around the world. The contributors are listed alphabetically following the survey and I extend my sincere thankds to all for their co-operation and enthusiasm. Particular thanks are due to the Regional correspondents of the International Society for Horticultural Science Working Group on Wild Tropical and Subtropical Plants with Horticultural Potential. These are Dr P. Batugal, Dr K.L. Chadha, Mr C. Clement, Dr H.C. Dass, Dr S.T.W. Kirinde, Dr A. Nyomora, Dr J.C. Okafor and Dr F.W. Martin who co-ordinated the activities of the Spanish-speaking scientists in the Caribbean and Central and South America. Mr D. McE. Alexander and Mr W.J. Lewis of the CSIRO Division of Horticulture gave valuable assistance in the checking of the species and Dr J.V. Possingham generously made available CSIRO facilities for much of the administration of the survey. I am grateful for taxonomic advice supplied by Dr G.E. Wickens of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and by Dr J. West of the CSIRO Division of Plant Industry, while holding the position of Australian Botanical Liaison Officer at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Mrs S. Suter and Mrs E. Wall of the Waite Agricultural Research Institure type the Manuscript and merit particular thanks for their patience and word-processing skills during the compilation of this survey. Finally I wish to extend sincere thanks to Professor H.D. Tindall, Chairman of the ISHS Commission for Tropical and Subtropical Horticulture, for advice and encouragement throughout the survey.

M. Sedgley,
Chairman of Working Group on Wild
Tropical and Subtropical Plants with
Horticultural Potential


INTRODUCTION

Of the estimated 250,000 species of flowering plant found around the world less than 500 are regularly cultivated as crop plants. Many other species are potentially useful, however, and may be collected or cultivated as alternative or supplementary sources particularly in times of shortage. An example of this is the use of chicory as a coffee substitute in Britain and Europe during the years of the Second World War. A noticeable feature of the cultivated crop species is that the majority are native to temperate climates. This reflects the enormous effort which has been invested in agricultural research and development over recent decades. Most of the activity has occurred in the counties of the temperate zone and has concentrated on the species traditionally consumed or utilised in those regions. In the tropical and subtropical areas of the world the pattern has been quite different. With a few notable exceptions, such as the mango and the banana, the native species have not become major crops on the world market and cultivation is largely confined to local small-scale production. In addition to the cultivated crops there is a tradition of collecting useful commodities from plants growing wild. The tropical and subtropical regions are particularly rich in their range of native species and this is an important resource for the local populations. This wide range of useful wild species in tropical and subtropical areas has received very little research and development investment, whereas research into the traditional temperate crops has resulted in large increases in productivity. The opportunity now exists for the development of alternative crops to improve the range of commodities available and so increase the quality of life. The tropical and subtropical regions, with their range of species with potential are the obvious source of new crops.

This survey is produced by the International Society for Horticultural Science Working Group on Wild Tropical and Subtropical Plants with Horticultural Potential. The working Group was established in 1982 in the Commission for Tropical and Subtropical Horticulture. It is an international group concerned with all species which are of use to local populations but which may be endangered by genetic erosion. Many plants species in tropical and subtropical areas of the world are threatened by habitat destruction and climate changes. The ultimate aim of the working group is to promote awareness and interest in research and conservation of species which are of use to mankind. The Working Group has very broad interest both geographically and with regard to the species of interest. As a first step a survey has been conducted to collect information on tropical and subtropical perennials with edible fruits or seeds. It is hoped that in the future it will be possible to collate information on plants with other specific uses and life forms. The geographic spread presented in the survey reflects that of the correspondents, and of the general level of interest in a broad international survey of this type. In future, more localised effors should concentrate on particular areas in more detail and thus distinguish climatic and cultural boundaries which cannot encourage such future cooperation and activity.

Perennial species have the advantage of providing a food source over a number of years. Some species also have the ability to endure periods of stress due to climate fluctuations. These may provide a food source during adverse conditions when annual crops cannot be cultivated. In such times of hardships, moreover, the tree species may provide an important source of fuelwood. Species which occur regularly in world trade have been excluded as it is the intention of the survey to identify under-exploited species. The members of the working group listed following the survey, have submitted information of species which are either collected from the wild or cultivated to only a limited extent. This information has been compiled to form the basis of the survey. Three levels of information are presented in the survey. All species identified in the survey are listed alphabetically under families with details of their occurrence in the eight broad geographical regions of the tropics and subtropics. Each region is then treated seperately