Socio-economic value and ethnobotanical study of Moroccan wild Leopoldia comosa L. Parl. bulbs

摘要

Background: Leopoldia comosa (L.) Parl. (Syn. Muscari comosum (L.) Mill.), or Toupee Muscari is a perennial in the Asparagaceae growing in Morocco and the Mediterranean area. In the Moroccan Rif mountains, it is found in significant quantities. In the spring, large quantities of the plant are marketed weekly in the souks (weekly markets) for export abroad, mainly to Italy. Little research has been conducted on the species and its trade-in Morocco or other southern Mediterranean countries. Given the lack of information about this plant, this study aims to reveal for the first time the socio-economic value and ethnobotanical data of this species in Morocco.