Abstract:
Palms constitute vital species for local
people’s well-being, especially in West Africa. This
analytic review aims at providing an overview of West
African palms flora diversity, uses, ecology, and
conservation. Scientific papers related to palms in
West Africa were searched on electronic databases
Google Scholar, Web of Science, and general web
search on Google using the names of palms occurring
in West Africa. From 108 scientific articles, we
extracted relevant information after a critical reading.
Papers were published between 1930 and 2019 and
most of the studies focused on biochemistry, ethnobotany, and population structure. We identify in the
literature 25 species belonging to 12 genera, 32% of
them growing in dry areas. Five growth forms were
identified among West African palms species. Erect and solitary stem forms were the most representative.
Concerning leaf forms, most west African palms
(84%) have pinnate leaves. Sexual systems of palms
were represented by monoecy, dioecy, and hermaphrody, with the predominance of monoecy (44%). The
pleonanthic species are the most represented reproductive feature (76%) and only Raphia palms are
hapaxanthic. As far as uses are concerned, there is a
link between used parts and uses categories. According to the relative importance index, the four first palm
species in West Africa, namely Borassus aethiopum
Mart., Elaeis guineensis Jacq., Borassus akeassii
Bayton, Ouedr. & Guinko, and Hyphaene thebaica
Mart. grow in dry areas. Rattans have a low relative
index value due to their non-consumed organs. Critical
analysis was presented in the focus of population
structure, distribution, and propagation aspects. The
review highlights a research gap in carbon sequestration, phenology, and called for more research effort in
semi-arid and arid areas. Such investigations would
help in planning better sustainable management and
conservation of palm in West Africa.
