Abstract
The Loranthaceae, commonly referred to mistletoe from Africa†are used by communities of Cameroon for their numerous therapeutic virtues. The study examined the local various uses of Loranthaceae species in Diamare plain of Cameroon. Participatory rural appraisal method was used with 130 persons, namely traditional healers, breeders, farmers and foresters in order to identify the local uses of Loranthaceae species. We used itinerary botanical survey method in thirty-two (32) villages for the inventory of Loranthaceae species. In each village, two (02) itineraries (1000 m x 20 m) were realized on account of one itinerary in an agrosystem and one itinerary in a natural site. Results revealed five categories of uses of Loranthaceae: human traditional pharmacopoeia, fodder, magical use, ritual use and veterinary medicine. Knowledge of Loranthaceae uses was broadly influenced by age of respondents, traditional healers and people over 41 years old were the major libraries of knowledge on Loranthaceae. Human traditional pharmacopoeia (96.92%) and magical use (82.30%) were the most important categories of uses. Nine Loranthaceae species were inventoried in natural and agrosystem sites, namely Agelanthus dodoneifolius (DC.) Polh. & Wiens, Tapinanthus globiferus (A. Rich.) Tiegh., T. oleifolius (J.C.Wendl.), T. ophiodes (Sprague) Danser and T. voltensis Van Tiegh. ex Balle, Phragmanthera sp., Tapinanthus sp1., Tapinanthus sp2. and Tapinanthus sp3. . The most parasitized species with high rate of parasitism and vulnerability were Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. (58.33%; 6.98%), Acacia albida Del. (45.03%; 13.97%), Azadirachta indica A. Juss. (39.05%; 18.03%), Psidium guajava L. (29.62%; 5.10%) and Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. (26.31%; 6.36%). Rate of parasitism and rate of vulnerability were positively but weakly correlated (Kendall, r = 0.09).
Highlights
African forests are a huge reservoir of biological diversity and their ecological functions are essential for humanity
Local uses of Loranthaceae in Diamare plain Local populations of Diamare plain are unanimous on the therapeutic virtues of Loranthaceae species
In the locality of Mindif in Mayo-Kani division, ritual use was more important than that of Diamare division whereas human traditional pharmacopoeia and magic were similar in all the localities
Summary
African forests are a huge reservoir of biological diversity and their ecological functions are essential for humanity. Loranthaceae, designated under the common term of "African mistletoe", are phanerogams, chlorophyllian hemiparasites or epiphytes which, implanted on the aerial parts of their hosts, are responsible for economic, ecological, morphogenetic and technological damage variable according to the cultures or parasitized woody species (Sallé et al, 1998) These hemiparasites are plants that have lost their autonomy in accessing nutrient resources during their evolution and have become dependent on their hosts. Several studies carried out on Loranthaceae in Africa showed that they drastically reduce the productivity of their hosts (Boussim, 2002; Edagbo et al, 2013; Massako et al, 2013) The latter represent a real scourge against which a proactive fight is essential, given the extent of the damage.
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