Ethnobotanical Studies of Port Harcourt Metropolis, Nigeria

Table 1

Ethnobotany of some common plant species in Port Harcourt city, Nigeria.

S/no.	Common	Botanical	Family		Local names		Use(s)	Part(s)
	name	name	name	Yoruba	Ibo	Hausa		used
1	Ginger	Zingiber officinale (Rose)	Zingiberaceae	Jinga	Chita	Ata-ile	Detoxify liver, bronchitis	corm
2	Edible-stemmed vine	Cissus quadrangularis (L.)	Vitaceae	Ogbakiiki	—	Daddor	Caries, dysmenorrhoea, urinary disorders	Tuber, stem
3	Hibiscus	Hibiscus acetosella	Malvaceae			Akese	Dysentery	Leaves
4	Chinese pur/Burweed	Triumfetta rhomboidea (Jacaq.)	Tilaceae	Odo	Yanka-dafi	Molanganrsn/ako bolobolo	Gonorrhea	Leaf, Flower; Fruit
5	Bush okra/Jew fiber telteria/Jews Mallow	Corchorus olitorius	Titiaceae	Ewedu	Ariraa/ulogburu	Lalo	Vegetable, blood purifier	Leaf
6	African star apple	Chrysophyllum albidum (G. Don)	Sapotaceae	Odara/udala	Agbalumo	Agwaliba	Delicacy, antinausea	Fruit
7	Fruited gourd	Coccinia barteri	Cucurbitaceae			Ewe-oju	Venereal diseases, skin infections, earache	Whole plant
8	Tomatoes	Solanum lycopersicum	Solanaceae	Tomati	Tomato	Tomati	Vegetable, Vitamin C	Fruit
9	Pepper, Chili	Capsicum annuum L.	Solanaceae	Ata wewe	Ose	Tatashi	Delicacy, seasoning	Fruit
10	Curry leaf	Thymus vulgaris	Lamiaceae	Efinrin; wewe	Nch-anwu		Antibiotic, carminative	Leaves
11	Orange, Sweet	Citrus sinensis (Linn.)	Rutaceae	Osan	Or-oma	Lmu	Dysentery, fever, headache, antimicrobial agent, anthelmintics, toothache, antiscorbutic	Twigs, stem bark, fruits, peel
12	Brimstone tree	Morinda lucida (Benth.)	Rubiaceae	Oruwo	Eze-ogu	—	Fever	Leaves
13	African copaiba, balsam; tree, niger-opal, maaje	Daniellia oliveri	Leguminosae	Iya,	Kadaura,	Ozabwa, Maje	Dysentery, diarrhoea, toothache, urinary infection, astringent, tooth; ache	Gum, bark
14	Water leaf	Talinum triangulare (Willd.)	Portulacaceae	Gbure	Nte-oka/inene	Alenyruw-a	Vegetable	Leaf
15	Lemon grass	Cymbopogon citratus	Poaceae	Koriko-oba	Nch-anwu	—	Malaria	Leaf
16	Hog plum	Spondias mombin L.	Anacardiaceae	Iyeye	Ngu-lung-wu	Isada	Infertility	Fruit
17	Cashew nut	Anacardium occidentale L.	Anacardiaceae	Kaju	Sas-hu	Kanju	Cough	Bark, Fruit
18	Mango	Mangifera indica L	Anacardiaceae	Mongora		Mango	Malaria	Leaf, bark
19	Cocoyam, Wild taro	Colocasia esculentum (L.) Schott	Araceae	Koko, kokof-un, kokoibile,	Ede	Gwamba	Anaemia, wounds, rheumatism, poison antidote	Tuber, leaves
20	Giant milk weed/sodom apple	Calotropis procera	Asclepeceae	Bom-ubomu		Tumifafiya	Measles	Leaf
21	Bitter leaf	Vernonia amygdalina (Del.)	Asteraceae	Ewuro	Onu-gbu, olug-bu	Shiwaka	Pile, lower sugar, vegetable	Leaf
22	Goat weed, floss flower	Ageratum conyzoides L.	Compositae	Imi-esu	ula; ujula,	Ahenhen	Wounds, ulcers, craw-craw, digestive disturbance,; diarrhoea, emetic, skin diseases, antipyretic, gonorrhoea, sleeping; sickness, eye wash	Whole plant, leaves, root
23	Siam weed	Chromolaena odorata (Linn.)	Compositae	Akintola	Awo-lowo,	Obiarakara	Antimicrobial, dysentery, headache, malaria; fever, toothache, haemostatic, skin diseases	Leaves, stem-twigs
24	Coconut	Cocos nucifera	Arecaceae	Agbon	Aku-beke	Mosara	The water neutralizes poison/drug	Nut
25	Pepper fruit	Dennettia tripetala	Annonaceae	Igbere,	Nmi-mi	—	Insect repellant, fever, cough, toothache, stimulant	Fruit, leaves, stem, twigs
	False thistle, leopard’s tongue Bear's breech, white's ginger,	Acanthus montanus	Acanthaceae	Ahon-ekun, irunmuarugbo,	Nyin-yiog-wu		Syphilis, cough, emetic, urethral discharge,; purgative, boils, anaemia, anthelmintics	Stem-twig, leaves, roots
26	Resurrection plant, life plant	Bryophyllum pinnatum	Crassulaceae	Eru-odundun,	—	Abomoda	Cough, diarrhoea, dysentery, wounds, fever, sedatives, diuretic, absc-esses, antifungal, epilepsy, antimicrobial, anticancer	Leaves, roots, leaf sap
27	Fertility tree, tree of life	Newbouldia laevis	Bignoniaceae	Akoko	Ogirisi	Aduruku	Round worms, elephantiasis, dysentery, malaria, convulsions,; migraine, cough, yellow fever, stomachache, hernia, infertility, earache	Bark, leaves, root
28	African tulip	Spathodea campanulata (P. Beauv.)	Bignoniaceae	Akoko	Ogili-si, ogirisi	Aduruku	Asthma	Leaves
29	Pineapple	Ananas comosus	Bromeliaceae	Ope oyinbo	Nkw-aba	—	Antihypertension constipation	Unripe fruit
30	Cock’s comb, Heliotrope	Heliotropium indicum L	Boraginaceae	Agogo-igun, Apari-; Igun,	Ogb-eria-kuko	Kalkashin korama	Convulsions, cancer, worms, rectal enema, mouth-wash	Whole plant
31	African cucumber, bitter gourd, balsam pear	Momordica charantia L.	Cucurbitaceae	Ejinrinw	Alo-ose	Kakayi	Diabetes, piles, convulsions, jaundice, sore, nervous; disorders, diabetic recipe, emetic, night; blindness, aphrodisiac, dysmenorrhoea, anthelmintic, antimicrobials	Whole plant, seeds, fruit; root
32	Fluted pumpkin	Telfaria occidentalis Hook. F.	Cucurbitaceae		Ugu		Antianaemic, blood tonic	Leaf
33	Colocynth, wild gourd.	Citrullus colocynthis (L.)	Cucurbitaceae	Egunsi	Elili/egwusi	Egbsi/guna	Laxative digestion	Fruit
34	Paw paw	Carica papaya (Linn.)	Caricaceae	Ibepe	Okworo-gbogbo	Gwanda	Boil, purgative	Latex fruit
35	Velvet, black tamarid, tumble tree	Dialium guineense (Wild)	Leguminosae	Awin,	Icheku,	Tsamiyar kurmi	Fever, coughs, bronchitis, toothache, astringent, diuretic	Leaves, fruit, bark, twigs
36	White yam	Dioscoreae cayennensis	Dioscoreaceae danzaria	Ako isu	Ji-ocha	Doya	Antidiarrhea	Tubers
37	Physic nut	Jatropha curcas L.	Euphorbiaceae	Botuje,	Olulu-idu	lapalapa, Zugu, Ol	Ringworm, eczema, scabies, fever, guinea worms, herpes, rectal; enema, black tongue, whitlow, impotence, irregular; menses, convulsion, smallpox	Seed, leaves, stem,; roots, sap
38	Caper bush	Capparis thonningii	Capparaceae	Eka-nawodi		ewon ekiri	Fever, headache, mental disorder, aphrodisiac, cough.	Root
39	African Walnut	Tetracarpidium conophorum	Euophorbiaceae	Awusa, asal	Ukpa	Hawuusa	Aphrodisiac	Fruit
40	Soya bean	Glycine max	Leguminosae	Ewa			Laxative	Seeds
41		Grewia sp	Tiliaceae	Ila-oko, lakolako			Religious purpose, mystic, soup with okra-like taste	Fruits
42	African/Native/Bush mango	Irvingia gabonensis	Irvingiaceae	Oro mopa	Ogb-ono	Mamujigoro	Condiment	Seed
43	Garlic	Allium sativum L.	Alliaceae	Aayu	Ayo-ishi	Tafarunua	Antibiotic antidiabetic; Anti-hypertension	Bulb
44	Onion	Allium cepa Alabasa	Alliaceae	Alubosa	Alu-bosa	Yabasi	Antidiabetic	Bulb
45	Aloe, West African aloe	Aloe barteri	Liliaceae		Aloe		Ringworm, anthelmintics, aphrodisiac, amenorrhoea, cough, skin infections, astringent, antitumour, pile, fruits for preventing snake bite	Leaves
46	Scent leaf, mint	Ocimum gratissimum	Lamiaceae	Efinrin nla	Nchanwu	Dadoya	Stomach ache	Leaf
47	Azadirachta indica (A. Juss.)	Neem tree	Meliaceae	Dongoyaro	Og-wu akom	Maina	Boils, antimalaria	Leaf,; bark
48	Moringa oleifera Lam.	Horse radish tree, Moringa tree, “Never; Die,” drumstick tree	Moringaceae	Ewe-ile, Eweigbale,	Okweoyeibe,	zogale, Bagaaruwar makka	Inflammatory diseases, asthma, antipyretic, cough, earache, liver and pancreas diseases, venereal diseases, anthelmintic, hysteria, diarrhoea, diuretic diseases	Leaves, roots, stem bark, fruit
49	Persea americana (Mill)	Avocado pear	Lauraceae	Igba/apoka	Ube-beke		Antihypertension; stomach ulcer	Fruit
50	Plantain	Musa paradisiaca L.	Musaceae	Ogede; agagba	Abrika/Okirima	Okamu/ayaba	Potent astringent; high iron	Unripe; fruit
51	Guava	Psidium guajava L	Myrtaceae	Gurofa	Gova	Gwaabaa	Malaria	Leaf
52	Groundnut, peanut	Arachis hypogaea	Fabaceae	Egpa		Gedda	Oil as solvent, antimicrobials, insomnia	Nuts
53	Crab’s eye	Abrus precatorius	Papilionaceae	Iwerejeje/ojuologbo	Anya nnunu	Da marzaya	Cough	Leaf
54	Cam wood	Baphia nitida	Sterculiaceae		Uri		Decoration	Latex
55	Bamboo	Bambusa vulgaris L.	Poaceae	Oparun	Atosi		Gonorrhoea, abortifacient, anthelmintics, emmenagogue, skin; rashes of HIV/AIDS	Leaves, young shoots
56	Water willow	Deinbollia pinnata	Sapindaceae	Ogiri-egba,		Ekusi-Oloko	Cough, bronchial asthma, aphrodisiac	Leaves, root
57	Lemon grass	Cymbopogon citratus	Poaceae	Koriko-oba	Nche awula		Malaria	Leaf
58	Water leaf	Talinum triangulare	Portulacaceae	Gbure	Nte-oka/inene	Alenyruwa	Rat poison, vegetable	Root; Leaf
59	Pepper, chili	Capsicum annuum L.	Solanaceae	Ata wewe	Ose/totashi	Barkono	Stimulant	Fruit
60	Soursop,	Annona muricata	Annonaceae		Sawamsop		Relaxing nerves	Leaf
61	Wild Cassava	Jatropha gossypifolia	Euphorbiaceae	Botuje pupa, Binidi zugu	Ake mbogho		Ringworm, ascaris, antitumour, malaria, dysentery, dysmenorrhoea	Stem latex
62	Black Mangrove	Avicennia africana	Avicenniaceae	Ogbun,	Ofun		Abortifacient, detergent	Leaves, stem, twigs
63	Baobab	Adansonia digitata	Bombacaceae	Ose,	Igiose,	kukaa, kulambali	Malaria, asthma, diarrhoea, kidney and bladder diseases,; demulcent, prophylactic, antihistaminic, skin; diseases, caries, antimicrobial	Leaves, fruit pulp, bark
64	Morning glory	Ipomoea mauritiana	Convolvulaceae	Atewogba, Tanpopo			Rheumatism, asthma, dropsy.	Whole plant
65	Bhadram, cherula	Aerva lanata	Amaranthaceae	Aje, Efunile	Eweowo,	Alhaji, Furfurata, fatumi	Ulcers, wounds, snake bite, diuretic, purgative, anthelmintic, sore; throat, kidney and bladder stones	Whole plant
66	Acalypha	Acalypha fimbriata	Euphorbiaceae	Jinwinini,		kandiri	Syphilis, asthma, anthelmintics, ulcers, rheumatism, antimicrobial; and antifungal	Leaves
67	Acalypha	Acalypha godseffiana	Euphorbiaceae	Jinwinini			Skin infection, Antimicrobials	Leaves, twigs
68	Hennaplant	Lawsonia inermis	Lythraceae	Lali,	Laali.	Lallee	Spermatorrhoea, jaundice, gonorrhoea, leucorrhoea, ulcers,; menorrhagia, astringent, skin diseases, malaria	Leaves, flowers, bark
69	Wild lettuce	Launaea taraxacifolia	Compositae	Yanrin,		Yamurin, Nonanbarya	Yaws, fracture management	Leaves
70	Stinging bean	Mucuna sloanei	Leguminosae	Ewe-ina,	yerepe; werepe	Kakara, osese	Haemorrhoids, diuretics, micturition problems in children, skin; diseases	Seeds, roots
71	Cow-hage, cow-itch plant, velvet bean	Mucuna pruriens	Leguminosae	Esisi,	Werepe	Abbala, Kakara	Intestinal worms, genitourinary diseases.	Hairs on the pods
72	Devil's gut, parasitic vine	Cassytha filiformis	Lauraceae	Omoniginigini	omonigelegele,	sulunwahi.	Anthelmintics, antimicrobials, antifungal	Stem twigs
73	Morinda	Morinda morindoides	Rubiaceae		Oju-Ologbo		Fever, jaundice, asthma,; dysentery, colic, emmenagogue, vermifuge, constipation	Root, bark, leaves, fruit
74	Millet	Millettia thonningii	Leguminosae	Ito,	okeokpa	Tuburku, Ajukwu	Fever, cough, respiratory ailment, anthelmintic, ophthalmia	Roots, bark
75	African Linden	Mitragyna inermis	Rubiaceae		Okobo,	Giyeya	Dysentery, leprosy, antipyretic, diuretic, gonorrhoea	Bark
76	Sensitive plant	Mimosa pudica	Mimosaceae	aluro		Patanmo,	Guinea worms piles, kidney disease, fistula, boils	Leaves
77	Bullet wood	Mimusops kummel	Sapotaceae		Uku	Emido	Antipyretic, astringent, mouth wash, stomachic	Stem bark, seeds
78	Sword bean, horse bean	Canavalia ensiformis	Leguminosae		Ponpondo,	sese-nla	Antibiotic, antiseptic	Seed
79	Celosia	Celosia laxa	Amaranthaceae	Marugbo sanyantan,	Ajemawofo,	Mannafaa, sanyantan,	Antiscorbutic, purgative	Leaves
80	Indian chrysanthemum	Chrysanthellum indicum	Compositae			Abilere, Oyigi	Boils, fever, gonorrhoea, jaundice, heart-trouble, insecticide	Whole plant
81	Rattle box, rattle pea	Crotalaria retusa	Leguminosae	Koropo	Akidimuo	saworo, Yara,	Fever, cirrhosis, liver lesions, dysentery, colic, vermifuge	Root, seeds, juice of; pods, leaves
82	Melon-pumpkin	Cucurbita maxima	Cucurbitaceae	Elegede,	Apala,	Kabeewaa	Tapeworm, diuretic, taenicide, otitis, utensils	Seeds, fruits
83	Flame of the forest	Delonix regia	Leguminosae	Seke	seke,	ayin.	Diuretic, anthelmintics, astringent, leucorrhoea	Leaves, bark, seeds, flower