Some of the species found in the garden include: •
Agave: A genus of succulent plants that are used for various purposes, including the production of alcoholic beverages like mezcal and tequila. Species found at the garden include
Agave salmiana and
Agave potatorum. •
Cactus: A family of plants that are adapted to arid environments and are used for food, medicine, and ornamental purposes. Species found at the garden include the giant barrel cactus,
Echinocactus platyacanthus, garambullo,
Myrtillocactus schenckii, Mexican fence post cactus,
Lophocereus marginatus, and various species of
opuntia.
Opuntia ficus-indica was domesticated as a spineless, easier to manage host for the
cochineal insect, a source for a natural red dye produced exclusively in Oaxaca for some three centuries and which was exported all around the world. In fact, the building of the monastery on the grounds of which the Oaxaca Ethnobotanic garden now stands was funded by the sale of this dye. Both
Opuntia ficus-indica and
Stenocereus pruinosus produce edible fruit. •
Grains:
Amaranth was an important staple food for the Aztecs and is still used today in various dishes. The garden also grows varieties of
maize, including varieties of
teosinte, its wild relatives. •
Flavoring plants: The garden grows a number of fragrant plants that are used to flavor traditional drinks like
tejate and
atole. These include
vanilla, frangipani,
Plumeria rubra, and the funeral tree,
Quararibea funebris. •
Medicinal plants: The garden features a wide range of medicinal plants that are used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments. These include species of
Equisetum,
Dasylirion,
Lysiloma,
Phlebodium and
Senecio. •
Fruit trees: The garden also includes a variety of fruit trees, such as sapodilla,
Manilkara zapota, soursop,
Annona muricata, mamey,
Pouteria sapota,
papaya,
guava, and
mango, which are important sources of food in the region. •
Other trees: Other trees in the garden include manila tamarind,
Pithecellobium dulce, the kapok tree,
Ceiba pentandra, montezuma cypress,
Taxodium mucronatum, the gumbo-limbo tree,
bursera simaruba, the shaving brush tree,
Pseudobombax ellipticum, and the elephant ear tree,
Enterolobium cyclocarpum. The garden showcases the rich biodiversity of the region and the importance of plants to the local communities. ==References==