The work, the result of a decade of research by investigators Demetrio Delgado and Emilio Blanco, rescues traditional knowledge, myths, legends, and popular uses of flora in the central, eastern, and southeastern parts of the province of Burgos. The book includes 200 fact sheets on useful plant species, based on the direct testimony of 133 informants from 95 towns.
Through meticulous fieldwork, 455 vernacular names (102 previously unrecorded), 440 photographs, plans, and maps have been documented. It addresses an ethnobotanical diversity including 128 wild species, 51 cultivated, and 25 in both forms. The taxonomic representation covers 68 plant families, highlighting the Asteraceae and Rosaceae.
The study also compiles popular knowledge on medicinal, culinary, festive, religious, and technological uses, along with recipes, proverbs, and curiosities that form part of the region's intangible heritage. It includes texts on almost-lost traditional trades, with an approach applicable to environmental education.
The presentation will feature the authors and will be introduced by Félix Alonso, head of the Library and coordinator of the ‘El jardín escrito’ cycle. It will take place at the RJB Library on Thursday, October 22, starting at 6:00 PM. Access is free until full capacity, via Claudio Moyano street, 1.
Demetrio Delgado is an environmental educator who has dedicated ten years to this ethnobotanical research. Emilio Blanco Castro is a Doctor of Biology with over 35 years of experience in botany, geobotany, and plant conservation, and has collaborated with the Royal Botanical Garden-CSIC.
The ‘El jardín escrito’ cycle, coordinated by Félix Alonso, aims to showcase the RJB-CSIC Library as a center of knowledge, promote debate, and disseminate science, encouraging reading and highlighting the work of libraries.
