Ornamental Plants in Agricultural and Botanical Treatises from al-Andalus

This study aims at introducing the most outstanding aspects of treatises written by Andalusi agronomists, and the specific knowledge they contain regarding crop species used at that time, paying special attention to those considered to be ornamental.

To do so, the first step was to analyze the richness of information gathered within these agricultural treatises, a testament to the high level of development that agriculture reached in al-Andalus. This cultural heritage had been hidden for centuries. The results of recent studies about this topic, and the perspective obtained by our multidisciplinary working method have been updated. The concept “ornamental” used by Andalusi agronomists and botanists is also analyzed. Finally a selected catalog of ornamental flora, complemented with a global analysis, closes the study.

Texto Completo: Ornamental Plants

En: Middle East garden traditions : unity and diversity : questions, methods, and resources in a multicultural perspective, edited by Michel Conan, Washington, pp. 75-94. – Colección: Digital.CSIC (EEA Comunicaciones congresos)

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