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Mediterranean Wild Edible Plants pp 15–31Cite as

The Mediterranean Landscape and Wild Edible Plants

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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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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biología Vegetal II, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Prof. Daniel Sánchez-Mata PhD

  2. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC, Madrid, Spain

    Ramón Morales PhD

Authors
  1. Prof. Daniel Sánchez-Mata PhD
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  2. Ramón Morales PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel Sánchez-Mata PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Nutrición y Bromatología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    María de Cortes Sánchez-Mata

  2. Dept. de Investigación Agroalimentaria, IMIDRA, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain

    Javier Tardío

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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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