Abstract. Malan DF, Litta AL, Kougbo MD, Diop AL, Kouassi KG. 2020. Wild edible plants in four Agni tribes of Central-east and Northeast of Côte d’Ivoire: a comparative study. Biodiversitas 21: 4896-4902. An ethnobotany survey was carried out in twelve villages of the four Agni tribes from the Center-east to Northeast of the Côte d'Ivoire, in order to assess the evolution of the knowledge and know-how of these peoples concerning wild edible plants. Frequency of citations and the Smith index of each of edible plants were obtained with data from the survey of 571 informants (279 men and 292 women). Factorial analysis of the correspondences was also performed in order to reveal the similarities between the different tribes. In total, 77 plant species (36 families and 67 genera) were cited as consumed by humans. The most used parts are the fruits (65.38%), and leaves (24.36%). Analysis of the similarities shows that only 18.82% of these species are common to the four tribes. In addition, knowledge related to wild edible plants is gradually degrading, for several reasons, including obsolescence of use and the unavailability of plants due to environmental degradation. Thus, the valuation and protection of these resources would be beneficial to populations.

Abstract. Diop AL, Malan DF, Kougbo MD. 2021. Perception of malaria and cultural diversity of antimalarial plants in three sympatric communities: Agni, Akyé and Gwa in the District of Alépé, Côte d’Ivoire. Asian J Ethnobiol 4: 1-11. Each ethnic group has developed its own culture expressed through traditional health care systems. This study aimed to determine how the communities with different histories perceive and manage malaria, a disease with a high prevalence rate in the Sub-Saharan region. An ethnobotanical survey was carried out in 10 Agni, Akyé and Gwa communities villages. Two surveys were conducted: a house-to-house survey based on free lists interviews and an individual walk-in-the-woods interview. Frequency of quotation and Smith’s index was used to assess antimalarial plants’ knowledge level. The Venn diagram, hierarchical clustering, and Spearman correlation test compared malaria perception and the antimalarial plants among the three communities. In the studied communities, six forms of malaria were recognized with various symptoms. Seventy-seven antimalarial plants were used to cure these forms. The proportion of antimalarial plants specific to each community was quite low. This study has revealed the differences and similarities between the antimalarial plants used by the communities living in the same geographical area. This study has also highlighted new plants in the study area that could treat malaria. Finally, awareness must be made in the studied communities on different forms of malaria for a better understanding of this disease.

Background Ethnic groups have developed their own cultures expressed in the form of traditional health care systems. This study aimed to determine how three sympatric communities with different histories, perceive and manage malaria, a disease with a high prevalence rate in the region. Methods An ethnobotanical survey was carried out in 10 villages of Agni, Akyé and Gwa communities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 290 informants within all three communities. A correspondence analysis associated to hierarchical clusters was used to determine the form of malaria shared within informants. Then, the free listing technique was performed to indicate the plant species which was most important for the respondents. Besides, the Venn diagram coupled to Jaccard similarity index was used to report the homogeneity on antimalarial plants species used within the three studied communities. Moreover, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the most common antimalarial plant within communities. Finally, the fidelity level index was used to identify the most preferred plant species used to cure various forms of malaria. Results The three ethnic groups have overall a similar perception of malaria with various symptoms. However, they did not use the same plants to cure one form of this disease. The study recorded 77 medicinal plants used to cure malaria, in which, a few such as Annickia polycarpa, Gymnanthemum amygdalinum, Alstonia boonei, Nauclea latifolia, Harungana madagascariensis, Ocimum gratissimum and Senna occidentalis were the most important. The analysis of intracultural knowledge on antimalarial plants revealed that informants have shared a high knowledge. Meanwhile, there is an intercultural convergence about common plants used within communities. Therefore, 20 antimalarial plant species were shared within communities and actively used, through time. Finally, in terms of antimalarial plants knowledge, Akyé and Gwa communities were closer than Agni communities. Conclusions In spite of their different histories, the close contact of communities promote the sharing of the knowledge. People use the same important plants to cure malaria and know five forms of malaria. Knowledge on antimalarial plants does not reach a stable climax, but could be evolved by trial and error, as effective cures malaria.

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Dans le but de valoriser le savoir traditionnel des plantes utilisées dans l'artisanat, une enquête ethnobotanique a été conduite chez quatre tribus Agni du Centre-est et du Nord-est de la Côte d'Ivoire. Les entretiens semi-structurés à travers l'approche du « porte-à-porte » suivis de randonnées dans le milieu environnant ont permis d'obtenir les informations sur l'usage des plantes. Cette étude a montré que 104 espèces réparties en 95 genres et 35 familles sont utilisées dans l'artisanat. Pour ces quatre tribus, seulement 14,42% des plantes ont un indice d'importance culturelle élevé. Il s'agit entre autres de Baissea multiflora, Holarrhena floribunda, Mansonia altissima, Nauclea diderrichii, Nesogordonia papaverifera, Pseudocedrela kotschyi, etc. L'analyse du coefficient de Jaccard a montré des différences majeures au niveau de l'usage des plantes entre ces quatre communautés, avec seulement 13,46% d'usage commun. Il a été également observé que les savoirs liés aux plantes à usage artisanal s'érodent progressivement, à cause notamment de l'abondance des