Summary
Finally, we might return to the plants gathered by Australian Aborigines as, perhaps, representing a most authentic selection by surviving nonagricultural peoples. A short list of genera that include one or more species harvested in the wild by native Australians is given in Table 1.3. I have attempted to indicate where species of each genus are harvested in the wild in addition to Australia. It seems evident from these data and the foregoing discussion that gatherers exploit about the same range of plants wherever they find them.
Table 1.3 A short list of genera that include one or more species harvested for food by native Australia.a
| Acacia (Af, Am, As)+ | Lepidium (Am, Af, As, E)+ |
| Adansonia (Af, As)+ | Linum (As, E)+ |
| Aleurites (As, 0)+ | Loranthus |
| Alocasia (As, 0)+ | Lucuma (Am)+ |
| Amamnthus (Am, As, Af)+ | Luffa (As)+ |
| Amorphophallus (Af. As, 0)+ | Lycium (Af) |
| Antidesma (As) | Macadamia (#) |
| Araucana (Am, O, #) | Manikara (Af) |
| Austromyrtus | Marsilia |
| Boerhaavia (Af, Am, As) | Mimusops (Af, As) |
| Bowenia | Mucuna (As)+ |
| Calamus | Musa (As, 0)+ |
| Canavalia (Af, Am, As)+ | Nasturtium (As)+ |
| Capparis (Af, As)+ | Nelumbium (Af, As)+ |
| Carissa (Af) | Nymphaea (Am, Af, As)+ |
| Cassia (Af, As, O) | Ocimum (Af, As)+ |
| Chenopodium (Am, Af, As)+ | Oryza (Am, Af, As, O) |
| Citrus (As, O)+ | Oxalis (Am, Af, As)+ |
| Clerodendrum (Af) | Pandanus (As, O)+ |
| Cordia (Af, As) | Panicum (Am, Af, As, E)+ |
| Cucumis (As, Af)+ | Parinari (Af) |
| Cyperus (Am, Af. As) | Phragmites (Af, Am, As, E, O) |
| Dactyloctenium (Af) | Physalis (Am, Af, As, E)+ |
| Digitaria (Af, As, E)+ | Piper (Am, Af, As, O)+ |
| Dioscorea (Am, Af. As)+ | Podocarpus (Af, As, O)+ |
| Diospyros (Am. As, O)+ | Polygonum (Am, Af, As. E, O) |
| Dolichos (Af. As. O)+ | Portulaca (Am, Af. As, E)+ |
| Eleocharis (Am. Af, As)+ | Rubus (Am, Af, As, E)+ |
| Eleagnus (As, E)+ | Rumex (Am. Af, As, E) |
| Eleusine (Af. As)+ | Sambucus (Am, Af. As, E)+ |
| Eragrostis (Am, Af)+ | Sesbania (Am, Af. As)+ |
| Eriochloa (Af, As)+ | Solanum (Am, Af, As, E, O)+ |
| Eucalyptus (#) | Sorghum (Af, As)+ |
| Eugenia (Af, As, O)+ | Spondias (Am, Af, As, O)+ |
| Ficus (Am, Af, As, O)+ | Sporobolus (Am, Af) |
| Gardnia (Af, As, O)+ | Tacca (Ac, O)+ |
| Gastrodia | Terminalia (As, O)+ |
| Geranium (Am, As, E)+ | Trigonella (As)+ |
| Glycine (As, O)+ | Typha (Am, Af, As, E, O)+ |
| Grewia (Af, As. O) | Vigna (Af, As, O)+ |
| Haemadorum | Vitex (Am, Af, As, O)+ |
| Hibiscus (Am, Af, As, O)+ | Vitis (Am, As, E)+ |
| Ipomoea (Am, Af, As, O)+ | Zamia (O) |
| Lagemyia (Am, Af, As, O)+ | Zizyphus (Af, As)+ |
a Abbreviations in parentheses indicate species harvested in the wild in addition to Australia: Am = America, Af = Africa, As = Asia, E = Europe, O= Oceania, # = modern domestication, + = one or more cultivated species somewhere in the world, but not in Australia.
It is not surprising, therefore, to find independent domestications of different species of the same genus, and if the genus is widespread, the different domesticates may have originated in different continents. Examples of such vicarious domestications occur in the following genera, among others:
1 Mesoamerica and South America—Amaranthus, Annona, Canavalia, Capsicum, Carica, Chenopodium, Cucurbita, Gossypium, Opuntia, Pachyrrhizus, Phaseolus, and Physalis;
2 Africa and Asia—Amorphophallus, Cucumis, Digitaria, Dioscorea, Dolichos, Hibiscus, Oryza, Piper, Solanum, and Vigna;
3 Old and New Worlds—Amaranthus, Canavalia, Dioscorea, Gossypium, Ipomoea, Lepidium, Lupinus, Panicum, Prunus, Setaria, Solanum, and Spondias.
Understanding