Multifunctionality and peasant management of chapulixtle (dodonae viscosa) in a warm region of Estado de México

Abstract

Chapulixtle (Dodonae viscosa) is a cosmopolitan plant that grows and develops in diverse geographical and environmental conditions. It predominates in deciduous and evergreen tropical forests, associated to mesophylic vegetation, shrubs and live oak forests, but also in secondary communities (successive stages of forest and brush, grassland, abandoned fields and ruderal spaces), and even in areas with extreme deterioration such as current borders, ravines, spaces exposed to sunlight, hills, slopes, spaces with over-grazing, eroded soils, and areas affected by fire. Dodonae viscosa is a multifunctional plant, used by peasant families in the warm region of southern Estado de México. In order to demonstrate its importance and multifunctionality, 1000 surveys were applied. As verification strategies, and to document its presence, a global geo-positioning system (GPS) was used. Tours around environments and communities in the region were carried out, where direct and participant observation was performed, interpreted with the approach of cultural geography. This plant has contributed significantly to peasant families’ economies, thanks to its diverse uses, such as: medicinal, fuel, ornamental, pesticide, for construction, agriculture, agro-forestry, ecological, environmental and for aquifer recharge.