In seasons of food shortage, local communities across Africa use wild edible plants and mushrooms (WEPM) that contribute significantly to food security by supplementing households’ diets and providing alternative income. In the Bamenda Highlands of Cameroon, their biodiversity is believed to be rapidly declining as a result of land use change. Despite their potential beneficial values, there has been only limited research on this topic in this area. This study aims to document traditional knowledge related to the use of plants and mushrooms for food purpose by indigenous people of the Bamenda highland. Ethnobotanical surveys were conducted in 6 localities (Mbengwi, Bafut, Nkwen, Mankon, Bambili, and Widikum) of the Bamenda Highlands of Cameroon, and 121 individuals were interviewed on commonly gathered and eaten WEPMs and their perception on their availability. Respondents were permanent residents selected based on their willingness to participate in the study. Specimens of recorded plants were collected and processed for future identification at the National Herbarium of Cameroon. Their nutritional potentials are discussed based on available literature. A total of 47 species were recorded including leafy vegetable, spices, fruits, roots/tubers, and mushrooms. The top 5 most frequent are Amaranthus sp. (6.6%), Termitomyces clypeatus (6.4%), Irvingia gabonensis (5.2%), Ricinodendron heudelotii (5.1%), and Aframomum sp. (4.5%). Leafy vegetable and spices are the most diversified group with 13 species each. All recorded species are important from nutritional and pharmaceutical points. However, many of their values remain uninvestigated, while their natural populations are facing threats of degradation. WEPMs have great potential to contribute to food and nutritional security in the study area. Sound nutrients and metabolites profiling of poorly known species can enhance their contribution in addressing food insecurity.

中文翻译：

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喀麦隆巴门达高地的野生食用植物和蘑菇：民族植物学评估和增强粮食安全的潜力

在粮食短缺的季节，非洲各地的社区使用野生食用植物和蘑菇（WEPM），它们通过补充家庭饮食和提供替代性收入为粮食安全做出了重要贡献。在喀麦隆的巴门达高地，人们认为其生物多样性由于土地用途的变化而迅速减少。尽管它们具有潜在的有益价值，但在该领域中，对该主题的研究很少。这项研究旨在记录与Bamenda高地土著人民以植物为目的的植物和蘑菇使用相关的传统知识。在喀麦隆巴门达高原的6个地区（姆本威，巴富特，恩文，曼孔，班比里和维迪库姆）进行了植物学调查，对121个人进行了采访，他们通常收集并食用WEPM及其对可用性的看法。受访者是根据其参与研究的意愿选择的永久居民。收集记录的植物标本并进行处理，以备将来在喀麦隆国家植物标本室鉴定。根据现有文献讨论了它们的营养潜力。总共记录了47种，包括多叶蔬菜，香料，水果，根/块茎和蘑菇。最常见的前5名是Amaranthus sp。（6.6％），圆头Termitomyces clypeatus（6.4％），Irvingia gabonensis（5.2％），Ricinodendron heudelotii（5.1％）和Aframomum sp。（4.5％）。叶类蔬菜和香料是最多样化的类别，每个类别有13种。从营养和药学角度来看，所有记录的物种都很重要。然而，他们的许多价值尚未得到调查，而其自然人口却面临着退化的威胁。WEPM具有极大的潜力，可以为研究区域的粮食和营养安全做出贡献。对鲜为人知的物种进行合理的营养和代谢产物分析可以增强其在解决粮食不安全方面的作用。