Abstract
Almost all the territory bathed by the Mediterranean Sea has a bioclimatic character driven by a particular set of climate parameters that define its unique Mediterranean macrobioclimate. The natural vegetation in these territories is profoundly affected by its specific climatic conditions (seasonality), which have created singular landscapes that are home to diverse groups of plant communities—from forests to grasslands—influenced by both dynamic processes and human-induced disturbance.
The typical Mediterranean landscape is an amazing mosaic of diverse plant communities characterised by its notable biodiversity. These complexes are home to an important group of edible plants and plants that provide wild edible fruits, as well as aromatic plants used as seasoning in human nutrition.
In this chapter, we describe the basic features of the structure of Mediterranean vegetation and landscape, and examine their importance for edible plants and fruits (including aromatic plants) in a territory that has been shaped and managed by human influence since time immemorial. These changes in Mediterranean vegetation and the importance of the weeds as edible plants are analysed.
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Sánchez-Mata, D., Morales, R. (2016). The Mediterranean Landscape and Wild Edible Plants. In: Sánchez-Mata, M., Tardío, J. (eds) Mediterranean Wild Edible Plants. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3329-7_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3329-7_2
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