Diversity and local use of ornamental horticultural flora in the Bangui and Begoua communes/districts, Central African Republic

Ornamental plants are still one of the components of plant biodiversity, due to their beautiful flowers or folia, fruits and, shape that are of aesthetic, economic and cultural interest for people. The purpose of this study is to make an inventory of ornamental plants and their local uses in the municipalities of Bangui and Begoua areas that can be used to establish a database of horticultural flora of Central African Republic. Ethnobotanical surveys have made it possible to collect information on the scale of households and furnished areas. This inventory shows an important diversity. Thus, 196 species targeted as ornamental plants divided into 122 genera and 65 families have been reported. The Fabaceae family (9 genera and 14 species) is the most represented, followed by the Euphorbiaceae (8 genera and 11 species), Araceae (7 genera and 9 species); Liliaceae (7 genera and 8 species) and, Malvaceae (6 genera and 8 species). Herbs are the most represented morphological types (39, 80%) followed by shrubs and, trees (21, 94%), and lianas (14, 58%). Out of all the uses reported, food plants were the most represented (65) followed by medicinal plants (55). The decoction (52%) and the infusion (20%) are respectively the methods of preparation of the most cited recipes followed by crushing (13%). The leaves (38%) and flowers (10%) are the most used organs. Reproduction by seeds is the most widely used method of propagation (53, 27%) followed by cuttings (30, 65%). Key words: Ornamental plants, diversity, local uses, Central African Republic.