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Native Plant Ethnobotany Research Program

Native Plant Ethnobotany Research Program

University of Kansas

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  • Welcome
    • People
    • Mission Statement
  • Public Gardens
    • Native Medicinal Plant Garden
    • Pharmacy garden
    • Dye Garden – The Colors of Nature
    • Informational handouts
  • Ethnobotany Research
    • Native American Ethnobotany
    • Regional Ethnobotany
    • Species-Based Ethnobotany
    • Ethnobotany Database
  • Sustainable Harvest
    • Oshá Harvest Sustainability
    • At-Risk Plants
  • Publications
  • Plant Gallery
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Sustainable Harvest

To both use and protect our medicinal plants, it is important to study harvest sustainability, especially for those species sold commercially and that have a high demand. We believe that wild plant resources can be harvested sustainably and that, in some cases, this is preferable to cultivation of these resources.

Species Case Studies

Understanding how harvesting impacts individual plants, local populations, and regional abundances is fundamental to developing sustainable harvest policy and practices. To learn about our extensive studies on sustainable harvest, click the links below.

Echinacea (Echinacea sp.)

Oshá (Ligusticum porteri)

At-Risk Plants

We have also worked on the issue of what makes a plant “At Risk” for overharvest (i.e. non-sustainable harvest). We have helped develop a tool, based on botanical, ecological and market factors, to help determine which plants are potentially at risk, click here to learn more.

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