Objective:

To study the seasonal presence, consumption and geographical distribution of vegetables commercialized in public markets of Tabasco State.

Methodology:

Local vegetable sellers were interviewed to record the common name, selling part, plant management degree as well as vegetable consumption form. An inventory was made and scientific names were confirmed at the Herbarium of the Universidad Juarez Autonoma de Tabasco. The information was analyzed in Excel.

Results:

Plant diversity was determined by their availability. There were found 146 species and 61 % of them are cultivated, 14 % are wild and 25 % have an initial degree of management. On the other hand, 56 % of the species are native which means that farmers protect this germplasm. The highest number of species is distributed in four families. From these species, 37 % is consumed as fresh fruit, 31 % is used as vegetable, 24 % as condiment. 7 % is used to prepare regional candies and 1 % as technological auxiliary

Limitations:

It is needed more time for the research. It is suggested to continue researching during more years in order to detect variations in plant species presence due to actual climate changes.

Conclusions:

There were found different edible plant species in Tabasco public markets due to their seasonality and depending on their proximity to rivers, high hills or coasts, which represent a good food repertoire, as well as the agricultural and culinary knowledge.