Plant Complexes and the Importance of Context in Historical Ethnobotany Identifications

Plant complexes are dynamic groups of species that share certain characteristics and uses. They are grouped under the same common name and can include both local and introduced species. The aim of this contribution is to inquire about the main plant complexes present in two Jesuit works, emphasizing their origin and diversity in order to discuss their value in the botanical identification of ethnospecies. Historical ethnobotanical methodology was used, consisting in the ethnobiological analysis of documentary sources: “Materia Médica Misionera” by Montenegro and “Paraguay Natural Ilustrado” by Sánchez Labrador. Several plant complexes were surveyed. Among the most important we can mention algodón, yerba mate, pimienta, arrayán, llantén, jengibre, arisquia, lentisco, almástiga. These groups respond to different criteria: morphological and organoleptic similarity and/or useful products. The influence of foreign observers in the conformation of plant complexes is notorious, as their discourse was constructed on the basis of various European documentary sources. The search for European plants in the New World or their replacements is evident in the imposition of European or native “label” names converted to Spanish or Portuguese spelling. The persistence or transience of these complexes is discussed on the basis of existing works.