Traditional vegetables in Benin: Diversity, distribution, ecology, agronomy, and utilisation Editors: Enoch Achigan-Dako Margaret Pasquini Francoise Assogba-Komlan Ndanikou Sognigbé Alexandre Dansi Bianca Ambrose-Oji Although this catalogue was produced through financial assistance of the Darwin Initiative project 15/003 and the International Foundation for Science project T/3709-1, the contents and views expressed in it are those of the authors. March 2009 – Draft 1 TRADITIONAL VEGETABLES OF BENIN Contents FOREWORD............................................................................................................................ 3 PART I CHAPTER 1. INVENTORY AND USE OF TRADITIONAL VEGETABLES: METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK.............................................................................. 9 1.1. DEFINING THE TERM “TRADITIONAL VEGETABLE” .................................................................................... 9 1.2 AN INTRODUCTION TO BENIN ................................................................................................................... 10 1.3 PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE TRADITIONAL VEGETABLE RESEARCH................................................ 11 1.4 METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................................................... 12 1.4. STUDY LIMITATIONS.................................................................................................................................. 17 CHAPTER 2. DIVERSITY OF TRADITIONAL VEGETABLES AND LOCAL TAXONOMY......................................................................................................................... 20 2.1. SPECIES RICHNESS AND DIVERSITY ........................................................................................................... 20 2.2. FOLK TAXONOMY...................................................................................................................................... 24 CHAPTER 3: CONSUMPTION AND POTENTIAL NUTRITIONAL CONTRIBUTION OF TRADITIONAL VEGETABLES IN BENIN........................... 48 3.1 SPECIES USED IN RURAL AREAS OF BENIN ................................................................................................. 48 3.2. SPECIES USED IN URBAN AREAS OF BENIN................................................................................................ 50 3.3. THE USE OF TRADITIONAL VERSUS NON-TRADITIONAL SPECIES.............................................................. 51 3.4. NUTRITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF TRADITIONAL VEGETABLES .............................................................. 52 CHAPTER 4: MEDICINAL PROPERTIES AND CULTURAL IMPORTANCE OF TRADITIONAL VEGETABLES IN BENIN.................................................................... 73 4.1. MEDICINAL PROPERTIES ........................................................................................................................... 73 4.2. CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE......................................................................................................................... 78 CHAPTER 5: THE PRODUCTION AND COMMERCIALISATION OF TRADITIONAL VEGETABLES........................................................................................ 80 5.1 PRODUCTION SYSTEMS............................................................................................................................... 80 5.2 COMMERCIALISATION OF TRADITIONAL VEGETABLES.............................................................................. 82 CHAPTER 6: CONSERVATION OF DIVERSITY OF TRADITIONAL VEGETABLES IN BENIN................................................................................................... 86 6.1. ASSESSING THE STATUS OF TRADITIONAL VEGETABLES ........................................................................... 86 6.2. PERCEPTIONS OF THREATENED SPECIES, CONSTRAINTS AND LOCAL APPROACHES TO BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION................................................................................................................................................ 87 6.3 DOMESTICATION OF WILD SPECIES ............................................................................................................ 90 PART II SELECTED SPECIES OF TRADITIONAL VEGETABLE OF BENIN BY FAMILY 93 ACANTHACEAE................................................................................................................................................ 93 1 CONSUMPTION AND NUTRITIONAL CONTRIBUTION AMANRANTHACEAE........................................................................................................................................ 95 ANNONACEAE ............................................................................................................................................... 103 ARACEAE ....................................................................................................................................................... 105 ASCLEPIADACEAE.......................................................................................................................................... 107 BASELLACEAE ................................................................................................................................................ 121 BOMBACACEAE .............................................................................................................................................. 122 BORAGINACEAE............................................................................................................................................. 125 CAPPARACEAE............................................................................................................................................... 126 COCHLOSPERMACEAE ................................................................................................................................... 129 COMBRETACEAE ............................................................................................................................................ 130 COMMELINACEAE.......................................................................................................................................... 131 CONVOLVULACEAE ....................................................................................................................................... 132 CUCURBITACEAE............................................................................................................................................ 135 EUPHORBIACEAE............................................................................................................................................ 143 IRVINGIACEAE................................................................................................................................................ 147 LAMIACEAE.................................................................................................................................................... 148 LAURACEAE ................................................................................................................................................... 152 LEGUMINOSAE-CAESALPINIOIDEAE ............................................................................................................. 153 LEGUMINOSAE-MIMOSOIDEAE ..................................................................................................................... 158 LEGUMINOSAE-PAPILIONOIDEAE ................................................................................................................. 160 LOGANIACEAE ............................................................................................................................................... 163 LYTHRACEAE ................................................................................................................................................. 164 MALVACEAE .................................................................................................................................................. 164 MORACEAE .................................................................................................................................................... 166 MORINGACEAE .............................................................................................................................................. 169 NYCTAGINACEAE .......................................................................................................................................... 170 ONAGRACEAE................................................................................................................................................ 171 OPILIACEAE ................................................................................................................................................... 172 PASSIFLORACEAE ........................................................................................................................................... 172 PEDALIACEAE ................................................................................................................................................ 173 POACEAE........................................................................................................................................................ 176 POLYGONACEAE ...........................................................................................................................................