Uses of Local Plant Species by Agropastoralists in South-western Niger

Abstract

Knowledge pertaining to local plant species in West African Sahel has been poorly documented despite the central role local vegetation plays in the everyday lives of the rural people. An ethnobotanical study was conducted between April and November 2005 to document knowledge and uses of local herbaceous and woody species by the agropastoralists in South-western Niger. One hundred and twenty three voucher reference samples were collected consisting of 87 and 36 herbaceous and woody species, respectively. The voucher specimens were used for individual interviews of the agropastoralists, guided by a semi-structured questionnaire. In each interview session, an interviewee was shown voucher reference samples and was asked to identify each of them. For each plant species identified, questions were asked about its utilization and the plant part(s) being used. Major uses of local plant species are for traditional medicine, human consumption, animal feed, household construction and firewood. Mean use value of woody species was significantly higher for all use categories (p < 0.001) than for the herbaceous species. These results confirm that "apparent" plants, perennial woody species, are used by the agropastoral communities more intensively than the "non-apparent" short life cycle herbaceous species.

Can ecological apparency explain the use of plant species in the semi-arid depression of Northeastern Brazil?

“…The same is not true for dry forests, where studies on ecological apparency have obtained different results. The ecological apparency hypothesis was tested by Ayantunde et al (2009) in Africa, where "apparent" plants (woody plants), had a higher relative importance than "non-apparent" plants (herbaceous), thus confirming the relationship between use and availability, in which woody plants are the major plants collected by the communities, because of their visibility and dominance in the vegetation.…”

“…Many studies have been performed in Tropical Forests to understand the dynamics of "use/availability" among traditional populations and local plant resources, applying the ecological apparency hypothesis (Phillips & Gentry 1993a,b;Mutchnick & McCarthy 1997;Galeano 2000;La Torre-Cuadros & Islebe 2003;Albuquerque et al 2005;Lawrence et al 2005;Cunha & Albuquerque 2006;Ferraz et al 2006;Lucena et al 2007;Ayantunde et al 2009;Thomas et al 2009;Lucena et al 2012a;Lozano et al 2014).…”

Phytochemical Screening and &lt;i&gt;in Vitro&lt;/i&gt; Antimicrobial Activity of &lt;i&gt;Waltheria Indica Linn&lt;/i&gt; Leaf Extracts

“…The plant is reported to possess therapeutic potential in the treatment of inflammations, malaria and upper respiratory infections in addition to the prevention of oxidative stress [26]. Its roots have been reportedly used in the treatment of diarrhea, wounds and stomach ache [27]. Different parts of the plant have been used to treat coughs, haemorrhages, fever, gonorrhea etc [28].…”

Ethnobotanical Survey of Woody Plants in Shorobe and Xobe Villages, Northwest Region of Botswana

“…Traditional societies in Africa and elsewhere have always used plants to promote healing, and traditional medicine is still the predominant means of health care in developing countries, e.g., in Botswana (Motlhanka & Makhabu 2011, Motlhanka & Nthoiwa 2011, Neudeck et al 2012, Ethiopia (Teketay et al 2010), Kenya (Bussmann 2006), Niger (Ayantunde et al 2009), and Nigeria (Okoli et al 2007). The Xobe and Shorobe Villages form part of the settlements around the famous Okavango Delta in the northwestern Botswana.…”