Not strictly archaeobotany - but certainly relevant, especially to the long term history of subsistence and environment
Mark
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Annual Distinguished Ethnobotanist Lecture 2011
Ethnobotany of the Home and Hearth by Will McClatchey (Botanical Research Institute of Texas)

Jodrell Lecture Theatre, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
5pm, Tuesday 11 October 2011

Admission free. No booking required. Entry via Jodrell Gate, Kew Road, TW9 3DS. Discussion continues afterwards at The Botanist on Kew Green. Jodrell Map: http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=518990&Y=177293&A=Y&Z=110

Queries: Mark Nesbitt, [log in to unmask]

Will McClatchey is well-known for his role in developing modern ethnobotanical techniques and research questions, and as an excellent teacher and public speaker. We look forward to seeing you at what promises to be a memorable evening. As ever, we will move to The Botanist afterwards, an opportunity to meet the speaker, this year's new Ethnobotany MSc students from Kent, and many colleagues with an interest in ethnobotany.

Summary
All of our ancestors originated in East Africa and spread from there to a series of new environments. In each new location they must have applied a process of learning about plants including ones that would be new to them. Today some communities are recognized as “indigenous” and having deeper knowledge of environments than communities that are non-indigenous or new to a place. A basic question is:  How long does it take a community to become “indigenous” to an environment or to develop strong patterns of interaction with a flora? Experiments in Thailand, Hawai`i and Texas will be presented to begin to address this question.

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