Book review:Aromatic Plants of Ethiopia. By Nigist Asfaw and Sebsebe Demissew. Shama Books,

Abstract

This important book is fittingly co-authored by a chemist and a botanist. It is a synthesis of two disciplines, botany and chemistry. To the best knowledge of this reviewer, only a couple of books have been published in the past on a similar topic pertaining to Ethiopia, and the current volume is a welcome addition to the body of literature on the particular subject.

Several pages (pp 26-52) are devoted to an introduction, followed by brief sections on geography, geology, climate, temperature, rainfall and vegetation types of Ethiopia. The main part of the book blends botany with chemistry and culinary/fragrance/medicinal uses of 64 essential oil-containing plant species. Plant families are arranged alphabetically, and within each family, the species are in turn treated alphabetically. The monographs start with the species Apium graveolens L. (Amharic name: yeshorba kitel) and end with Zingiber officinale Rosc. (Amharic name: zingibel). In the beginning of each plant monograph, the family to which the species belongs, is described in sufficient detail. It gives a synopsis of broad vegetative and floral characteristics of the family, along with the size (number) of the genera and species that are included in it. This is followed by the main part of the monograph, which includes the botanical name, synonyms (where applicable), vernacular names, common English name, botanical description of the plant, ecology & distribution, uses, essential oil constituents, a colored photograph and/or an illustration, and a map showing the distribution of the plant in Ethiopia. The last 71 pages are devoted to, in that order, a list of references, a glossary of botanical terms, an index of scientific names, an alphabetical index of botanical names paired with all known vernacular names and two sets of indexes in alphabetical order written, in turn, with Ge’ez and Latin scripts of vernacular names.

The book is well organized and easy to use. It is free from any discernible typographical errors. An important feature of the book is the index sections, which the reader can conveniently use to locate pages of interest in the book. One can easily go to the botanical name index or the Ge’ez or Latin script vernacular name index, as in for example looking up Satureja imbricata in the scientific name index, or Etse libona in the vernacular name index for the same plant. A minor deficiency of the book is in its “uses†section. In a few of the monographs, the uses of the constituents in the “essential oil†section could have been rather consolidated in the “uses†section.

The volume is filled with basic and useful information, which appeals to most readers. Individuals and institutions can benefit from having this book as a reference material.