Bedouin Ethnobotany: Plant Concepts and Uses in a Desert Pastoral World

Contents

Contents List of Illustrations ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xv Introduction 1 I.1 Scope, Previous Work, and Research Chronology 1 I.2 Consultants, Language, and Working Procedures 5 I.2.1 Consultants 6 I.2.2 Najdi Arabic 6 I.2.3 Transcription of Bedouin Speech 10 I.2.4 Working Procedures 10 1. The Land 14 1.1 Geology and Topography 14 1.2 Climate 21 1.3 Vegetation and Flora 28 1.3.1 Rimth Saltbush Shrubland 29 1.3.2 ‘Arfaj Shrubland 30 1.3.3 Thmam Grass-Shrubland 31 1.3.4 Calligonum–Artemisia Sand Shrubland 32 1.3.5 Ephedra Shrubland 32 1.3.6 Achillea–Artemisia Silt Basin Association 33 1.3.7 Gha�a Shrubland 33 1.3.8 Hadh Saltbush Shrubland 34 1.3.9 Rub‘ al-Khali ‘Abal Shrubland 34 1.3.10 Succulent Halophyte Associations 34 1.3.11 Shrubless Community Types 34 1.3.12 Microcommunities 35 1.3.13 The Annual Cycle of Plant Growth 35  contents 2. The People 38 2.1 Bedouin Life 38 2.2 Bedouin Tribes 46 2.2.1 Al Murrah 47 2.2.2 Bani Hajir 48 2.2.3 Al-‘Ujman 49 2.2.4 Qahtan 50 2.2.5 Ad-Dawasir 50 2.2.6 Shammar 50 2.2.7 Ar-Ruwalah 51 2.2.8 Bani Khalid 52 2.2.9 Mutayr 52 3. Stars, Land, and Plants: An Annual Round of Bedouin Life 53 4. Plants for Use 79 4.1 Plants for Livestock Grazing and Browse 79 4.1.1 The Camel 80 4.1.2 Toxic and Noxious Plants 97 4.2 Fuel and Fire Making 100 4.3 Wild Plants for Food 105 4.3.1 Roots, Tubers, and Bulbs 106 4.3.2 Edible Stalks or Stems 109 4.3.3 Greens Eaten Raw 111 4.3.4 Edible Fruits and Flowers 114 4.3.5 Seeds and Grains 116 4.3.6 Gums and Other Exudates 119 4.3.7 Flavorings and Food Additives 120 4.3.8 Truffles and Mushrooms 120 4.4 Medicinal Uses of Plants 128 4.4.1 Arthritic Complaints 129 4.4.2 Cold Remedies 130 4.4.3 Emetics 131 4.4.4 Eye Conditions 131 4.4.5 Women’s Conditions 131 4.4.6 Fevers 133 4.4.7 Kidney Ailments 133 contents  4.4.8 Laxatives 134 4.4.9 Skin Afflictions and Wounds 135 4.4.10 Snakebite and Scorpion Stings 135 4.4.11 Stomach Ailments 136 4.4.12 Tonics 136 4.4.13 Toothache 136 4.4.14 Insect Repellents 137 4.4.15 Psychotropic Plants 137 4.4.16 Veterinary Medicinals 138 4.5 Tanning and Dyestuffs 140 4.6 Soaps, Cosmetics, Dental Hygiene Products, and Incense 143 4.7 Gunpowder, Crafts, and Construction 150 4.8 Plants in Children’s Play 154 5. Plants as Concept and Name 156 5.1 The Origin and Purpose of Plant Life 156 5.1.1 Plants and the Supernatural 157 5.1.2 Plants in Bedouin Cosmology 159 5.2 Plant Anatomical Terms 160 5.3 Classification and Nomenclature 163 5.3.1 The Development of Folk Classification Theory 163 5.3.2 Plants as a Kingdom 178 5.3.3 Life Forms 182 5.3.4 Intermediate Categories 190 5.3.5 Folk Generics and Subgenerics 198 5.3.6 Some Linguistic Aspects of Plant Names 206 5.3.7 Variation in Generic Names 215 5.3.8 Growth-Stage Generics 217 5.3.9 Classification and Subsistence Mode 218 5.3.10 Summary and Statistics: Folk Classification and Nomenclature 228 5.4 Plants as Vegetation and Place 232 5.4.1 General Terminology Related to Plants 232 5.4.2 Plants and Topography 235 6. Generics and Subgenerics: A Descriptive List 240  contents 7. Bedouin Plant Lore in Space and Time 331 7.1 A Greater Geography and History 331 7.2 Indigenous Botanical Knowledge in a Changing World 340 Appendix A. Present-Day and Early Islamic Plant Names 345 Appendix B. Plant Remedies Collected from Herbalists’ Shops 355 Works Cited 363 General Index 373 Index of Arabic Plant Names 381 Index of Scientific Plant Names 391 Contents of CD-ROM in Back Pocket Appendix C. Plants of the Bedouin Lexicon Arranged by Botanical Family Supplementary Photographs Terrain and Plant Communities The People The Plants Sound Clip...