Abstract Detail

Society for Economic Botany/BSA Economic Botany Section

Molinar, Richard [1], Yang, Michael [1], Dean, Ellen [2].

Hmong culinary and medicinal plants grown in Fresno County California.

Fresno County, California has over 4,000 small family farmers. More than 1,300 of these farmers are refugees from Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, including about 850 Hmong, 350 Lowland Lao, and the remaining are Mien, Khmu, Lahu, and Chinese. Since 2003, Fresno County UC Cooperative Extension researchers have been collecting Asian vegetables and herbs from Hmong farmers, both at farms and at farmers markets, for identification and outreach purposes. This grew into a small farms outreach project and hoophouse collection of live plants that specifically targeted plants grown by Hmong farmers. A researcher fluent in Hmong was integral in the success of the project. Plants are available for viewing at the University of California Kearney Field Station in Parlier, CA and were sent to the UC Davis Center for Plant Diversity herbarium for identification and mounting. To date, researchers have documented and identified 48 culinary and/or medicinal plants that are grown by Hmong farmers. The well known chicken soup herbs for pregnant females are part of the collection.

Broader Impacts:

1 - UC Cooperative Extension, Fresno County, 1720 South Maple Avenue, Fresno, CA, 93702, USA
2 - UC Davis Center for Plant Diversity, Plant Sciences, m.s. 7, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA, 95616, USA

Keywords:
Hmong
Medicinal herbs
Culinary herbs
California
Cooperative Extension
ethnobotany
Herbaria.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Sections
Session: P
Location: Khorassan Ballroom/Chase Park Plaza
Date: Monday, July 11th, 2011
Time: 5:45 PM
Number: PEN007
Abstract ID:375