Floristic diversity of the lower stratum of smallholder’s palm oil plantations around Yaoundé in Cameroon

One of the objectives of today’s world is to reconcile the needs of agricultural production and conservation of biodiversity. In order to contribute to the knowledge of the plant species diversity a study was conducted in the undergrowth of some smallholder’s palm oil plantations (SOPs) around Yaoundé, Cameroon; floristic inventories in 12 SOPs covering 91 ha. The SOPs studied were grouped into three types based on their characteristics. SOPs Type 1 are using inorganic fertilization and herbicide during regular pruning and weeding activities; SOPs Type 2 groups do not receive pesticides; SOPs Type 3 groups whereby harvesting of fresh fruit bunches is the only management practice. A total of 156 species belonging to 128 genera, and 59 families were inventoried. SOPs Type 2 and Type 3 had the highest species richness compared to SOPs Type 1. SOPs presented low to, high diversity. There was a floristic similarity between SOPs Type 2 and Type 3. The characteristic species of the SOPs around Yaoundé were Marattia cicutifolia (Marattiaceae), Chromolaena odorata (Asteraceae), Laportea aestuans (Urticaceae), and Costus afer (Costaceae). SOPs Type 2 appeared to be the most in line with sustainable palm oil production. These results suggest the need for support to oil palm cultivation by smallholders, who also need to use other herbaceous plant species for several reasons.