Valeur ethnobotanique de l’espèce, Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A. Juss (meliaceae) auprès des populations riveraines de la chaine de l’Atacora au Togo

Abstract

An Ethnobotanical study of the species Khaya senegalensis was conducted in 2015 on Atacora mountains in the ecological zone II of Togo. Its general objective is to contribute to valorization of the species K. senegalensis and aims specifically to (i) evaluate the knowledge on the uses of the species and (ii) determine the interethnic convergence for uses of different parts of the species. The data collection is based on semi-structured ethnobotanical surveys by focus groups with 200 people from 5 ethnic groups. The parts of K. senegalensis used are bark, wood, leaves, and roots with bark being the most cited use (99.0%). These plant parts are used especially in traditional medicine for the treatment of 34 diseases and symptoms. The difference in average number of uses of the parts of the species is significant at the level of the ethnic groups (P = 0.000), age groups (P = 0.003) and gender (P = 0.040). The level of knowledge of the uses of the species is higher among ethnic groups Tem, Lamba, Kabyè and Tamberma. The study emphasizes the importance of ethnobotanical use value to improve sustainable management of this economically important species for its timber production.

Keywords

• Khaya senegalensis
• ethnobotanical
• Atacora mountains
• Togo