ABSTRACT
Latitude is source of variations of plant species diversity and stand structure. This study aimed to characterize the populations of the African grape tree, Lannea microcarpa, in its range in Burkina Faso. Data were collected according to oriented sampling scheme, based on the presence of the species. Overall, 140 inventory plots of 1000 m2 each were considered across the sub-Sahelian, north-Sudanian and south-Sudanian phytogeographical zones. Tree diameter at breast height (DBH) and total height of L. microcarpa individuals were measured and all woody species in each plot were recorded. A comparative analysis was made between zones for woody flora diversity associated with L. microcarpa, dendrometric and stand structure parameters. The results revealed a total woody flora richness of 109 species. Correlogram analysis revealed that species associated with L. microcarpa differed between phytogeographical zones. Ten species showed a probability of association with L. microcarpa. The density of L. microcarpa populations and the floristic diversity of its habitats decreased significantly (p < 0.001) from sub-Sahelian to south-Sudanian zones. The diameter classes' structure in the three phytogeographical zones revealed unstable populations with a predominance of intermediate classes compared to extreme classes. The height structure of juveniles is marked by a poor transition between the different classes, showing unpredictable regeneration of L. microcarpa in the three phytogeographical zones. The results of this study draw attention to the need to adopt conservation measures for the species. In this sense, the data on the comparative demographic characteristics can serve as a basis for the implementing of adequate management strategies of natural populations of the species across its distribution range in Burkina Faso.
ABSTRACT
AIM OF THE STUDY: The majority of people living in Kourittenga Province, Burkina Faso, are highly dependent on medicinal plants for their daily health care. Knowledge on the use of medicinal plants by traditional healers is being seriously threatened, due to the fact that it is commonly transferred from one generation to another only verbally. Moreover, recent environmental changes, deforestation, and unsustainable rates of exploitation, represent a serious risk for plant species diversity. Thus, there is a need to record and document indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants in this country. The aim of this study was to report on the use of medicinal plants by traditional healers to treat human diseases in a rural area located in the East-Centre Region of Burkina Faso (Baskoure Area), which has not yet been studied from an ethnobotanical point of view. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research was carried out over a period of 8 months, by means of open-ended and semi-structured interviews. A total of 41 traditional healers were interviewed, and group meetings were organised with family members and other local inhabitants having knowledge of traditional medicine. RESULTS: A total of 190 plant species were recorded. Most medicinal plants used to prepare concoctions were herbs, and leaves were the most frequently used parts. A high percentage of plants were used against gastrointestinal diseases and malaria, which are the prevalent diseases in the study area. The major source of remedies came from wild plants, indicating that cultivation of medicinal plants is not a common practice. CONCLUSIONS: Our study represents an inventory on medicinal plants used in a rural area of Burkina Faso, and confirms that wild plants are widely utilised as health remedies in this area. The collected data may help to avoid the loss of traditional knowledge on the use of medicinal plants detained by traditional healers, and represent the preliminary information required in view of a future phytochemical investigation on the most used plants.
