The Loranthaceae, commonly referred to "mistletoe from Africa" are used by communities of Cameroon for their numerous therapeutic virtues. The study examined the local various uses of Loranthaceae species in Diamare plain of Cameroon. Participatory rural appraisal method was used with 130 persons, namely traditional healers, breeders, farmers and foresters in order to identify the local uses of Loranthaceae species. We used itinerary botanical survey method in thirty-two (32) villages for the inventory of Loranthaceae species. In each village, two (02) itineraries (1000 m x 20 m) were realized on account of one itinerary in an agrosystem and one itinerary in a natural site. Results revealed five categories of uses of Loranthaceae: human traditional pharmacopoeia, fodder, magical use, ritual use and veterinary medicine. Knowledge of Loranthaceae uses was broadly influenced by age of respondents, traditional healers and people over 41 years old were the major libraries of knowledge on Loranthaceae. Human traditional pharmacopoeia (96.92%) and magical use (82.30%) were the most important categories of uses. Nine Loranthaceae species were inventoried in natural and agrosystem sites, namely Agelanthus dodoneifolius (DC.) Polh. & Wiens, Tapinanthus globiferus (A. Rich.) Tiegh., T. oleifolius (J.C.Wendl.), T. ophiodes (Sprague) Danser and T. voltensis Van Tiegh. ex Balle, Phragmanthera sp., Tapinanthus sp1., Tapinanthus sp2. and Tapinanthus sp3.. The most parasitized species with high rate of parasitism and vulnerability were Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. (58.33%; 6.98%), Acacia albida Del. (45.03%; 13.97%), Azadirachta indica A. Juss. (39.05%; 18.03%), Psidium guajava L. (29.62%; 5.10%) and Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. (26.31%; 6.36%). Rate of parasitism and rate of vulnerability were positively but weakly correlated (Kendall, r = 0.09).

Les Loranthaceae constituent des ressources précieuses pour les populations locales africaines. Cependant, peu d’ethnies connaissent l’importance socio-économique des Loranthaceae de par le manque d’études ethnobotaniques sur ces espèces. Afin de contribuer à la valorisation et à la gestion durable des Loranthaceae parasites des plantes ligneuses, une approche associant deux méthodes a été adoptée. L’une, basée sur des relevés de surface et l’autre sur une enquête ethnobotanique relative aux connaissances locales des Loranthaceae dans 9 Arrondissements de la Région de l’Extrême-Nord du Cameroun. Au total, 4 genres (Agelanthus, Globimetula, Phragmanthera et Tapinanthus) et 7 espèces parasites (Agelanthus dodoneifolius, Globimetula braunii, Phragmanthera capitata, Tapinanthus bangwensis, T. belvisii, T. globiferus et T. ophiodes) ont été inventoriés et identifiés dans les Monts Mandara. Il ressort aussi que ces espèces parasites sont utilisées en pharmacopée dans des recettes médicinales et magico-religieuses (45,56%), pour traiter des infertilités (32,70%) et des troubles mentaux (32,36%). Les résultats ont aussi montré que Mangifera indica (35,74%) et Senna singueana (34,41%) sont les hôtes des parasites les plus sollicités. Aussi ont-ils révélé que la commercialisation des Loranthaceae constitue une source de revenu économique et une ressource importante en pharmacopée pour les populations locales des Monts Mandara. Ces résultats pourraient servir de référence pour la recherche de stratégies d’exploitation et de conservation durable de cette diversité végétale.Mots clés : Loranthaceae, Espèces parasites, pharmacopée, Monts Mandara, Cameroun.   English Title: Diversity and socio-economic importance of Loranthaceae parasites of woody plants of Mandara Mountains in the Far-North Region, Cameroon Loranthaceae are valuable resources for local African populations. However, few ethnic groups know the socio-economic importance of Loranthaceae due to the lack of ethnobotanical studies on these species. In order to contribute to the enhancement and sustainable management of Loranthaceae parasites of woody plants, an approach combining two methods was adopted. One, based on surface surveys and the other on an ethnobotanical survey relating to local knowledge of Loranthaceae in 9 Subdivisions of the Far North Region of Cameroon. In total, 4 genera (Agelanthus, Globimetula, Phragmanthera and Tapinanthus) and 7 parasitic species (Agelanthus dodoneifolius, Globimetula braunii, Phragmanthera capitata, Tapinanthus bangwensis, T. belvisii, T. globiferus and T. ophiodes) have been inventoried on the Mandara Mountains. It also appears that these parasitic species are used in pharmacopoeia in medicinal and magico-religious recipes (45.56%), to treat infertility (32.70%) and mental disorders (32.36%). The results also showed that Mangifera indica (35.74%) and Senna singueana (34.41%) are the hosts of most solicited parasites. They also revealed that the commercialisation of Loranthaceae constitutes a source of economic income and an important resource in pharmacopoeia for the local populations of the Mandara Mountains. These results could serve as a reference of strategies for the sustainable exploitation and conservation of this plant diversity.Keywords: Loranthaceae, parasitic species, pharmacopoeia, Mandara mountains, Cameroon.

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