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Lombard, Marlize
Open quaternary, 04/2022, Volume: 8Journal Article
Since it was established that the early hominins of the Cradle of Humankind in South Africa ate sup.13C-enriched foods that may have included sedges with Csub.4 photosynthetic pathways, much work has focused on the reconstruction of hominin dietary ecologies in both southern and eastern Africa. Through the years emphasis was placed on Cyperus papyrus as a possible source, even inspiring an 'aquatic diet' hypothesis for all hominins. Baboon feeding habits and sedge regimes observed in South Africa's 'Lowveld' have provided a proxy for the dietary ecology of the southern 'Highveld' hominins, and from the Cradle of Humankind sedges, amongst other plants, have been collected for nutritional studies. To date, however, there has been no attempt to compile an inventory of the sedge species currently growing in the demarcated area of the Cradle of Humankind. Here I list 29 Cyperaceae taxa currently recorded as growing in the Cradle of Humankind. I show that, contrary to previous inference, most of them have Csub.4 photosynthetic pathways and do not need aquatic ecologies or permanent wetland settings. I discuss and provide photographic records for the six species identified as current baboon and human foodplants, and highlight Cyperus esculentus as a possible nutritious and prolific Csub.4-sedge-USO food source for southern African hominins based on its energy, protein and fat/lipid profile. Keywords: Cyperaceae, hominin diet, wetland hypothesis, nutrition, yellow nutsedge, patrysuintjies
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