Abstract: The study discussed ethnobotany of and threats to wild edible plants in Ledong,southwest of Hainan Province.Semi-structured interview,field observation and market survey were employed to gather ethnobotanical data.Information was collected from about ten informants of three villages namely,Zhazao Village,Zhazao-lao Village and Jia-xi Village.The study documented 26 edible plant species belonging to 26 genera and 21 families.Of the reported edibles,there were four major usage categories:vegetables (38.5%),fruits (34.6%),medicines (30.8%) and herbal tea (11.5%).Leaves (35%) and fruits (32%) were the parts widely used.Herbs and shrubs made up the highest proportion of the wild edible species.Therefore,this study can not only preserve the traditional knowledge of Li ethnic group,but also provide references for the exploitation of wild edible plants.

Key words: ethnobotany, traditional knowledge, Li ethnic group, wild edible plants, exploitation