Ethnobotanical study of twenty species in the family Asteraceae in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Ethnobotanical study was conducted on 20 plants belonging to 18 genera of the Asteraceae family. The aims of this research were to  explore the current ethnobotanical status of the identified plant species, document their indigenous utilization for diverse purposes  within the specific research area and assess the extent of Asteraceae plant usage by the local population. Data were collected through  semi-structured questionnaires and open-ended interview techniques with different categories of informants in the Ife Central Local  Government Area of IleIfe, Osun State, Nigeria. Demographic data of respondents were analyzed using a descriptive statistical method, providing understandings into their characteristics. The ethnobotanical survey results were subjected to quantitative analysis employing  several parameters. The Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) was utilized to determine the prominence of plant species in terms of  citations. The Use Value (UV), Fidelity Level (FL), and Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) were employed to assess plant importance,  therapeutic efficacy, and consensus among informants, respectively. Ethnobotanical study of the selected Asteraceae plants revealed the traditional uses of these plants for diverse purposes for both humans and livestock. The average ICF value was 0.92, indicating a relatively  high consensus among the respondents. Ageratum conyzoides, Tithonia diversifolia, Aspilia africana, Launaea taraxacifolia and  Tridax procumbens were the most cited of all the species, hence their high RFC values. Fidelity Level (FL) had the highest value in Aspilia  africana, Tithonia diversifolia and Ageratum conyzoides while Acmella radicans had the lowest FL value. According to this study,  Ageratum conyzoides (0.10) and Launaea taraxacifolia (0.10) had the highest use value. The study concluded that the Asteraceae species  have several edible, ornamental and medicinal uses, which have not been explored extensively in the study area.