Ethnobotany of Some Selected Tree Species in Southwest Cameroon

Authors

  • Andrew Enow Egbe University of Buea
  • Pascal Tabi Tabot Department of Botany, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, P.O. Box 77000 Port Elizabeth 6031, South Africa
  • Beatrice Ambo Fonge University of Buea

Keywords:

Ethno-medicines, rural livelihoods, woody NTFPs, farm gate prices, prioritization, tree crops

Abstract

 

An ethnobotanical investigation was carried out in 12 villages in Manyu and Fako Divisions, South-western Cameroon to determine economic potentials and priorities of eight non-timber forest products (NTFPs) tree species and three tree crops. Gross farmer income in Manyu was found to be 30% from NTFPs and 70% from established tree crops, while in Fako it was 15% and 85% respectively. The yield of tree crops (160-1047 kg/farmer/year) was higher than NTFPs (0.3-273kg/farmer/year). Some 21 diseases were treated using 10 tree species. Farmers assigned highest priority  for NTFPs to Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry-Lecomte ex O’Rorke) Baill., Ricinodendron heudelotii (Baill.) Heckel, Dacryodes edulis (G. Don) H.J.Lam, Irvingia wombolu Vermoesen, Cola lepidota K. Schum.  and Garcinia kola Heckel for their cultural and medicinal values implying potential need for their conservation.

 

Author Biographies

Andrew Enow Egbe, University of Buea

Department of Plant and Animal Sciences

Head of Life Sciences Laboratory

 

Pascal Tabi Tabot, Department of Botany, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, P.O. Box 77000 Port Elizabeth 6031, South Africa

Department of Botany

Research Assistant

Beatrice Ambo Fonge, University of Buea

Department of Plant and Animal Sciences

Lecturer and Coordinator of Horticulture

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Published

2012-06-17

How to Cite

Egbe, A. E., Tabot, P. T., & Fonge, B. A. (2012). Ethnobotany of Some Selected Tree Species in Southwest Cameroon. Ethnobotany Research and Applications, 10, 235–246. Retrieved from https://ethnobotanyjournal.org/index.php/era/article/view/665

Issue

Vol. 10 (2012)

Section

Research

License

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