Does anyone know if Vítor of Rare.Species.Amazon is still selling seeds or if he has retired? I’ve emailed him a few times and got no response. His work in conservation of unusual species is amazing and he always has unusual stuff. With the current state of the Amazon we need people like him with a passion for plants more than ever. I hope he is marvelous as always and just on hiatus. Below is a quote from him that I find especially fitting.
“I know countless people bordering the Amazon region that does not have the courage to eat any fruit that is not really considered edible. I believe the biggest reason is because the Amazon culture, and also the risk of consuming some toxic substance in an inhospitable region and almost no medical facility. This is one of the biggest factors that hinder the conservation of species in the region.
For example, if you have the opportunity to meet some city of the Amazon region, or rather will extend to all regions of Brazil. If you are in any city in Brazil and have the opportunity to visit a local fruit fair, you will realize that the fruit will be marketed exclusively of common fruit trees species. If you find a small barrack at the fair, with farmer (usually collectors native fruits) is possible you find some lesser known species, but will realize that are used as remedy, and that the own seller recommends that it is not an appropriate fruit for consumption but it is good to countless health problems, such as abdominal pain or other numerous applications.
Specifically in Manaus (capital of Amazonas state) If you visit any local market and ask about Murici you will find the fruit of the species Byrsonima crassifolia, but if you look for the result of any other species Byrsonima (in the region there are numerous species of Byrsonima), you will not find. And if you are interested in asking why only commercialize the fruit of B. crassifolia, they will say it is the only variety that is possible to consume, and other fruits "similar" with B. crassifolia are not edible_. And if you keep asking what the reason for why they think it is not edible, many will say they heard their parents or grandparents, and they never risked eating the fruits, and probably never will.
I know many people who work with collection of fruits in the woods and I had the opportunity to walk with these people in many expeditions, many called me crazy for trying various fruits they believe to be poisonous. I argued and often explained that it was not a poisonous fruit, and I knew the correct botanical identification, but it is not enough for them to believe, is a complex culture and very hard to be adjusted, I do not worry about that anymore. Unfortunately the identification studies do not include information concerning to the fruit is edible or not, that orients and generates the idea that they are unfit for human consumption.
It's incredible the lack of knowledge of mankind about the flora of our planet, there are countless researchers around the few remaining forests on the surface of the planet, always publish studies but in recent times hardly publish on new species. Today there is generally no more students who are interested in the area of taxonomy, and only great teachers of the area are retired or died. There is no more incentive to masters or doctoral students entering studies in the area of taxonomy, today other study areas of botany has much more visibility. That is anyone discovers new species these days, and I'm sure there are countless species that have never been identified, many disappeared before being discovered, as many already disappeared and we will never know the existence.
I do not like being tragic or pessimistic, but it is a great loss to humanity to pay much attention to other areas of science, and so little attention to the flora of our planet. It is understandable that the studies that are made today are to improve our knowledge on species that have been discovered, but do not care about the thousands of unknown species that are being decimated. Knife and a search will find that almost every species we know today have been identified for many years ago, and incredibly by a small number of researchers, in the years after the work was done aimed only sort and group these species. It is interesting to know the work of Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, after the knowledge of the work of this illustrious researcher can better understand that almost nothing is done today. My concern is that if we are living in the next 50 years we will witness the announcement of the extinction of a daunting number of fauna and flora species.
Best regards,
Vitor
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