ethnobotany-art.10


Ethnobotany of Solieria robusta

75Science Diliman (July - December 2000) 12:2, 75-77

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION

Ethnobotanical data on the economic macrobenthic
seaweeds in the Philippines are few.  Among the coastal
regions of the country, northwestern Luzon or the Ilocos
region has a long history of seaweed utilization. The
scarcity of agricultural crops brought about by the lack
of arable lands has necessitated the tapping of diverse
marine food sources. Moreland (1980) listed over a
dozen species of marine algae used as food, either fresh
or cooked.  These include the edible species of the red
algal genus Porphyra, a centuries-old favorite among
the Chinese and Japanese. Other folk uses of seaweeds
in northern Luzon include medicinal, agricultural
(fertilizer and pesticide), and animal feed applications.
In other parts of the Philippines, the use of seaweeds is
restricted to a very few species and mainly for industrial
purposes. In central Visayas and southwestern
Mindanao, the red algal genera Kappaphycus and
Eucheuma are cultivated extensively for the
international carrageenan industry and partly for the
local fresh seafood market.  Likewise, two species of
the green algal genus Caulerpa, C. lentillifera J.
Agardh and C. racemosa (Forsskaal) J. Agardh, are

Ethnobotany of Solieria robusta (Gigartinales, Rhodophyta)
in Zamboanga, Philippines

Oliver D. Tito and Lawrence M. Liao
Marine Biodiversity Program

Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology
Fort Pilar, 7000 Zamboanga City, Philippines

A market survey was made at the Zamboanga City public market to determine the diversity of economic
macrobenthic algae sold by the local population.  Interviews were conducted to obtain information on local
names, uses, stock distribution, method of harvest, seasonality, and some aspects of marketing practices.

Keywords: ethnobotany, Solieria robusta, seaweed utilization

harvested for both domestic and foreign seaweed
markets although on a rather limited scale.
The Zamboanga area in western Mindanao is known
for its variety of marine products such as fishes, sea
cucumbers, molluscs, and crustaceans.  Recently, the
Kappaphycus and Eucheuma seaweed farms have
contributed significantly to the economic progress of
the region.  While the economics and technical aspects
of the seaweed industry in the region have been
documented by Trono (1974, 1992), nothing is known
on the ethnobotanical aspect of seaweed utilization in
the area.  An ethnobotanical study is made more
interesting because the region is the home of a number
of ethnic groups with different sociocultural and religious
backgrounds and dietary practices.  The following study
was done to document the ethnobotanical aspect of
seaweed utilization in the Zamboanga area.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Interviews with seaweed vendors in the Zamboanga
City public market were conducted to obtain information
on the kinds of seaweeds harvested, sold, and consumed



Tito & Liao

76

by the local population.  Information on their folk uses,
local names, distribution seasonality, marketing practices
and other ethnobotanical information were obtained.
Photographs were taken of the species sold in the
market.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Interviews revealed that the seaweed vendors in
Zamboanga City public market were predominantly
members of the Samal ethnolinguistic group who dwell
in coastal areas.  Many of them have been in the fresh
seaweed retail business for some years.

Three species of seaweeds were sold in the market:
(1) Caulerpa racemosa, which is represented by at
least two varieties, C. racemosa var. laetevirens
(Montagne) Weber-van Bosse and C. racemosa var.
turbinata (J. Agardh) Eubank; (2) Kappaphycus
alvarezii (Doty) Doty ex Silva, represented by a highly
proliferous green color mutant; and (3) Solieria robusta
(Greville) Kylin, with soft, gel-filled branches distinctly
constricted at the bases.

While the occurrence of Caulerpa and Kappaphycus
have been documented in many parts of the country
(Trono and Ganzon-Fortes 1988), this is the first report
on the genus Solieria.

Solieria robusta occurs in tropical and subtropical
waters, in the Indo-Pacific region from Japan, Fiji
(South 1993), and Australia (Gabrielson and Kraft
1984) to Mauritius, Madagascar, and South Africa
(Norris 1988).  In Southeast Asia, it has been reported
from Thailand (Lewmanomont and Ogawa, 1995),
Indonesia, Singapore (Teo and Wee 1983), and Southern
China (Tseng 1983).  This is the first report of the
species in the Philippines. It has been found in the
southern parts of the Philippines, notably Zamboanga
and Davao del Sur (R. Lucero, pers. comm.). It was
only in Zamboanga, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi where S.
robusta was harvested and marketed in significant
amounts.

Among the species marketed is Solieria robusta
(Greville) Kylin, a rhodophytan species never before
reported from the Philippines. The species has a long

history of utilization among the Samal and Tausug ethnic
groups who call it “tajuk bau’no.”  This is harvested
almost year-round, with variable seasonal supply which
the natives attribute to rainfall variations.  They are
sold to retail vendors by volume, rather than by weight,
in rectangular rattan baskets of approximately 15 kg
per basket at Php120 (US$1=Php38).  Seaweeds are
prepared as salads; these are washed in tap water and
garnished with sliced tomatoes, onions, vinegar, and
green mango slivers.  The harvesting of S. robusta
from wild populations in the waters around Zamboanga
is mainly carried out by Tausug and Samal fisherfolk
who are mostly marginal earners with practically no
resource conservation knowledge.  Fisheries authorities
lack statistical data for the harvested S. robusta for
these are mixed with the predominant carrageenophytes
and gracilarioids which are similar in appearance. Many
of the natural seaweed beds containing S. robusta face
the threat of habitat degradation owing to intensive
Kappaphycus seaweed cultivation and pollution
discharges from coastal villages.  Unless conservation
measures are implemented, the combined effects of
these ecological and anthropogenic factors on S.
robusta may result in its local extinction even before it
can formally be documented, a scenario that is prevalent
in other critical ecosystems such as tropical rain forests
and coral reefs.

Further studies on the species are recommended to
include:

1) at least more than a year-round study on its
seasonality, phenology, and biomass yield;

2) study on its reproductive biology, recruitment, and
growth rate;

3) determination of its optimal requirements for growth
and development;

4) characterization of its phycocolloid content including
seasonality of yield and quality;

5) development of management scheme for its natural
stocks

6) the development of a suitable, economically feasible
cultivation technology.

Data from these studies will aid in the development
and formulation of an effective resource management
scheme for the species and eventual development of
its mariculture technology.



Ethnobotany of Solieria robusta

77

REFERENCES

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