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Ethnobotanical Leaflets 12: 713-18. 2008.
Ethnobotanical
Applications of some Floral Species in Bayelsa State, Nigeria
*Gordian Chibuzo Obute and Ekiye,
Ebiare
Department of Plant Science & Biotechnology
University of Port Harcourt
Port Harcourt, Nigeria
*E-mail: goddie_chi@yahoo.com
Issued 12 September 2008
ABSTRACT
The
focal point of this study was documentation of indigenous uses/knowledge of
the thinning populations of the valuable flora in parts of the Niger Delta. Forty-Eight
plant species belonging to twenty-four taxonomic families were found to have
various ethnobotanical applications among the
indigenous people of Bayelsa State.
Some of these still enter the local economy through the services
provided by the products. Harvesting of flora for these purposes was observed
to be unsustainable because of lack or presence of weak institutional and
legal framework and enforcement for sustainability. This study also
highlights the implications of forest fragmentation and over harvesting
leading to depletion of vegetation resource base and consequently the loss of
the knowledge about useful species along with their ethnobotanical
applications.
INTRODUCTION
Ethnobotany
-- the interface between indigenous people and their use of plants around
them is a significant facet of “Biological Diversity” consideration. Defined
as the variety of life on earth, encompassing the plants, animals and
microorganisms and the ecological complexes which they are part of;
biodiversity conservation has become a topical global issue. From prehistoric times, human existed by
gathering fruits, seeds, leaves and roots of plants, and hunted animals that
eventually depend on plants for their existence. Other needs afforded humans
by plants include shelter, clothing, medicines, aesthetics, craft etc. Indeed
plant and plant products remain the primary base upon which all modern
civilization was built. Bayelsa State bestrides much of Africa’s largest wetland and Nigeria’s thriving petroleum business but has
no formalized properly managed forest or wood industry. Even so, much of the
timber from these parts services a huge proportion of the global wood needs
via the Western axis of Nigeria. Pressures from environmental
degradation, forest fragmentation, and unsustainable arable land use,
urbanization and industrialization (Obute and Osuji, 2002; Obute 2005; Ayodele, 2005) are fast depleting much of Nigeria’s tropical rain forests and are thus
reducing the biodiversity of the country.
Apart from this, several non-timber forest products (NTFPs) from the state informally service a wide range of
clientele, local and abroad. For instance, the indigenous people in Sagbama area of Bayelsa State collect many wild plants or plant
parts and process these into various products. Potential ethnomedicinal
or other ethnobotanical uses of some of these
plants are largely yet to be discovered and documented. In the recent past
there has been renewed interest in sustainable management of natural
resources like plants (Cunningham, 1994). Although the economic value of some
trees (Cunningham, et al,.
2002) attract attention to them, the best of documented interest in people
and plants is largely for plants with medicinal value (Gill, 1988;
Cunningham, 1994;; Ndukwu and Nwadibia,
2003; Ayodele, 2005; Obute,
2005). In the current use of plant resources, Obute
(2005) noted that the overexploitation of wild populations and lack of
conservation programmes are two interlocking
problems dealing with sustainable management of plant resources especially in
the southern parts of Nigeria. This study is aimed at providing data
on the application of some flora of Bayelsa State by the aborigines to solve economic,
recreational, medicinal, construction and sundry needs. The effort is another
contribution to the documentation and provision of records of indigenous
knowledge, use and conservation of these plants.
GEO-CLIMATIC
DESCRIPTION OF BAYELSA STATE
Sagbama area
of Bayelsa State
located in the southern butt of Nigeria in
the deltaic spread of the River Niger in West
Africa. It has a tropical climate with high rainfall
levels ranging between 2,000 – 4,000mm per annum. The terrain elevation is
about 6 – 15m above sea level and most parts are flooded most part of the
year. The soil type is the alluvial deposit type and is thus rich with
organic matter for luxuriant growth of flora. It is a high biodiversity value
area resulting from the diverse plant groups, which concomitantly attracts
other mobile life forms.
MATERIALS
AND METHODS
Field trips were undertaken to different
villages and local government areas in Bayelsa State such
as; Patani, Adagbabiri, Ogboloma, Kpetiama and Sagbama, Ekeremo, Brass, Yenagoa, and Ogbia Local
Government Areas. Structured oral interviews administered to the folks directly
involved in the use of forest products.
Pictures were also taken showing standing
trees, felled trees, stumps, logs, sawed planks and finished products and the
indigenous plants which were observed during these field trips were
identified with the aid of Floras (Dalziel, 1937;
Hutchinson and Dalziel, 1958), manuals (Keay, 1989) and Herbarium specimens in the University of
Port Harcourt were employed in identification of not so easily identified
species. Voucher specimens of these are deposited n the UPH-Herbarium.
RESULTS
AND DISCUSSION
The investigation revealed that a total of 48
species, distributed into different and some similar genera and 24 unrelated
angiosperm families are used for a wide range of applications in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. In
utilizing these plants several activities that are a bane to conservation of
species are carried out howbeit, through ignorance rather than by design.
Below in Table 1 are highlights of some the uses to which some plants are put
in this part of the world.
Table 1.
Checklist of floral species folk identification and uses in Bayelsa State
|
S/n
|
Botanical name
|
Family
|
Native name
|
Trade name
|
Parts used
|
Uses
|
|
1
|
Mammae africana
|
Guttiferae
|
Bolo
|
Okricapet
|
Trunk
|
Making
canoes, sculptures, serves as timber
|
|
2
|
Symphonia
globulifera
|
Guttiferae
|
Akololor or okilolo
|
Akololor
|
Trunk
|
Construction
especially roofing, for furniture
|
|
3
|
Allablanckia
floribunda
|
Guttiferae
|
Obobiobo
|
Black
Akololor
|
Trunk
|
Construction
and furniture making
|
|
4
|
Mitragyna
ciliata
|
Rubiaceae
|
Baa
|
Abura
|
Trunk,
fibres from trunk
|
Furniture,
construction and mat weaving
|
|
5
|
Alstonia congensis
|
Apocynaceae
|
Kigbe
|
Egbu
|
Trunk
|
Build
ships, decking, lintel work, furniture and construction
|
|
6
|
Alstonia
boonei
|
Apocynaceae
|
Endoudou
|
Man-egbu
|
Trunk, stem
|
Making
shoes i.e. Those with wooden sole
|
|
7
|
Ceiba
petandra
|
Bombacaceae
|
Assessai
|
Cotton tree (akpu)
|
Trunk,
leaves
|
Construction;
lintel and concrete work. Leaves are edible
|
|
8
|
Piptadeniastrum
africanum
|
Leguminosae:
mimosoideae
|
Esiansia
|
Ekhimi
|
Trunk
|
Boat
building
|
|
9
|
Lophira Alata
|
Ochnaceae
|
Kuru
|
Ironwood
|
Trunk
|
Railway
slippers and electrical pole
|
|
11
|
Picanthus agolensis
|
Verbenaceae
|
Aboh
|
Akomu
|
Trunk
|
Ceiling
work
|
|
13
|
Uapaca heudelotti
|
Euphorbiaceae
|
Edisin
|
Etewor
|
Trunk,
stem
|
Door
frames, picture frames and very fine firewood.
It
is classified as hard wood, used in building boats and market stalls
|
|
14
|
Scottellia mimfiensis
|
Flacourtiaceae
|
Ewonor
|
Ironwood
|
Trunk
|
Building
bridges and jetty
|
|
16
|
Combretodendron macrocapum
|
Lecythidaceae
|
Ozen
|
Owewe
|
|
|
|
17
|
Guarea
cedrata
|
Meliaceae
|
Akurantin
|
Afara
|
|
Timber
|
|
18
|
Anophyxis klaineana
|
Rhizophoraceae
|
Aku
|
Ironwood
|
Trunk
|
Build
ships
|
|
19
|
Endodesima calophylloides
|
Guttiferae
|
Bonasun
|
Ironwood
|
Trunk
|
Build
market stalls
|
|
20
|
Garcinia
kola
|
Guttiferae
|
Akan
|
Bitter kola
|
Trunk
|
|
|
23
|
Alchornea
cordifolia
|
Euphorbiaceae
|
Epain
|
Epain
|
Stem
|
Very
fine firewood
|
|
24
|
Elais
guinensis
|
Palmae
|
Loo/Etuboi
|
Palm tree
|
Leaves,
stalk
|
Brooms,
roof of thatch houses
|
|
25
|
Irvingia
gabonensis
|
Irvingiaceae
|
Ogbein
(ogbono)
|
Bush mango
|
Trunk,
stem
|
Roofing
firewood
|
|
26
|
Raphia
vinifera
|
Palmae
|
Kuruo
|
Raphia tree/bamboo
|
Stalk,
trunk, leaves
|
Building thatch houses
(both frame and roof ie. the leaves), yields palm
wine from which local gin is obtained
|
|
27
|
Raphia mannii
|
Palmae/Arecaceae
|
Biyai
|
Banibo
|
Leaves,
fibre
|
Fibre
from the stalk is used in weaving mats, baskets, fans, pot stands, drink
covers and other crafts
|
|
28
|
Bambusa
vulgaris
|
|
Ekrai
|
Indian bamboo
|
Stem
|
For
thatch houses, fence, as support for climbing plants, toothpick
manufacture, other decorative items
|
|
29
|
Erasmopatha
microcapa
|
Anacardiaceae
|
Dee
|
Cane
rope
|
Stem
|
Cane
furniture, baskets, Straight canes to discipline stubborn children (Apiu)
|
|
30
|
Lacosperma secumdiflora
|
Anacardiaceae
|
Boru
|
Cane
rope
|
Stem
|
Same
as above
|
|
31
|
Oncucallamus mannii
|
Anacardiaceae
|
Egba
|
Cane
rope
|
Stem,
thorns
|
Same
as above, also has tiny thorns which are used as hooks in fishing nets
|
|
32
|
Nauclea
dederrichii
|
Rubiaceae
|
Kiriwoso
(land opepe)
|
Opepe
|
Trunk
|
Construction,
door frames electric pole
|
|
33
|
Nauclea vanderguchtii
|
Rubiaceae
|
Ope (swamp opepe)
|
Opepe
|
Trunk
|
Timber,
furniture, if not properly seasoned it produces powder
|
|
34
|
Staudtia
stipitata
|
Myristicaceae
|
Abala/yowetin
|
Ichanu
|
Trunk
|
Making
paddle
|
|
35
|
Vitex
chrysocarpa
|
Verbenaceae
|
Buron
|
Land
abural (black guarea)
|
Trunk
|
Hard
wood for construction
|
|
36
|
Spondiatus
preussii
|
Euphorbiaceae
|
Eginiyai
|
Live
tree
|
Trunk
|
Pulp
is extracted for paper
|
|
37
|
Chlorophora excelsa
|
Moraceae
|
Sibeyetin/olokpata
|
Iroko
|
Trunk
|
Furniture,
export wood in the past
|
|
38
|
Khaya
ivorensis
|
Meliaceae
|
kuu
|
Mahogany
|
Trunk
|
Furniture
|
|
39
|
Musanga cecropioides
|
Moraceae
|
Oforimofo (ukporwe)
|
Cork
tree
|
Trunk,
stem
|
Shoe
heels and as floater
|
|
40
|
Diospyros
mespiliformis
|
Ebenaceae
|
Ongblo
|
Ebony
|
Trunk
|
Timber;
furniture and sculpture
|
|
41
|
Pterocarpus osun
|
Leguminosae: Papilionoideae
|
Eseletin
|
Caton
wood (Bar wood)
|
Trunk
|
Construction
|
|
42
|
Newbouldia laevis
|
Bignoniaceae
|
Abode
|
Life
tree
|
Whole
tree
|
It
never dies, it is used for boundary adjustment and in shrines
|
|
43
|
Psidium
guajava
|
Myrtaceae
|
Guava
|
Guava
|
Trunk,
stem
|
Handle
in hoes and other farm instruments
|
|
44
|
Rhizophora sp.
|
Rhizophoraceae
|
Aka
Duon Kemi
|
Chewing
stick
|
Stem
|
To
treat tooth ache and cleanse teeth
|
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45
|
|
|
Oro
Gbissa
|
Oro Gbissa
|
Whole
plant
|
Weaving
mat
|
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46
|
Hevea brasiliensis
|
Euphorbiaceae
|
|
Rubber
tree
|
Trunk,
extract
|
Rubber
is extracted for production of plastics etc
|
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48
|
Rhizophora
racemosa
|
Rhizophoraceae
|
Angalatin
|
Salt
water tree
|
Salts
and extracts
|
Tannins
and salts are obtained for leather work
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FOLK KNOWLEDGE OF THE FLORA AND GOVERNMENT CONTROL
The indigenous
people of this area have a working folk taxonomy of the plants they have long
been associated with. Plants could be identified by vernacular names with
ease though the younger folk appear totally uninterested in the plant
resources around. Some of the loggers interviewed revealed that the only
touch with government officials is at the level where concession or permit is
given a major logger who now dispenses portions to the lesser loggers. Non-timber forest products are harvested by
any who can since there are no limits. The general belief is that the
resources can never run out since according to them the forests are so vast
that it is unthinkable to finish its largesse. However, pressure from
deforestation, bush burning, migrant farmers, industrialization and
urbanization combine to yield a harvest of biodiversity depletion and loss.
Pictorial highlights of the ethnobotanical uses of
some plants from Bayelsa State are presented in the following plates:
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