Some endangered plants producing edible fruits and seeds in Southeastern Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction. Although some of the non-formal food items consumed in Southeastern Nigeria are exotic, the indigenous products are becoming increasingly popular. There is also a growing interest among scientists in various disciplines to conduct research on nutritional, medicinal, industrial and other uses of the less studied and largely indigenous plants. Unlike the exotic fruits and seeds literature on the purely indigenous species is scanty. This paper is aimed at the documentation of some of the readily identified species producing fruits and seeds, which are considered to be endangered. Materials and methods. Selected plants producing edible fruits and seeds and considered to be endangered in Southeastern Nigeria were compiled in a list. Mature forms of the fruits and seeds were covered by means of color photographs and further categorized according to their families, growth habits, state of domestication, local names and methods of utilization. Results and discussion. Thirty plant species belonging to 19 families were recorded. The list includes 19 trees, 3 shrubs, 4 climbers and 2 rhizomatous monocots. About 27% of the species listed enjoy some degree of cultivation, while about 70% may still be found protected or wild. Up to 16% are still harvested only from the wild plants. The factors predisposing most of the species to extinction would be: loss of habitat due to deforestation and other forms of population pressure on the ecosystem; lack of interest in tree planting due to rather long gestation periods of existing genetic stock; increasing pressure and demand from few surviving stands; unsustainable harvesting methods. Conclusion. Ex situ conservation strategies, genetic and other tree improvement studies, encouragement of home garden and village forest settlement practices, and the introduction of incentives for tree planting are recommended strategies for conservation and sustainable production of the highly prized indigenous edible fruit and seeds in the area.