Phytogeography and uses of vascular epiphytes in Côte d'Ivoire

Epiphytes are plants that have developed the ability to live on woody substrates. They are very sensitive to ecological variations and in some cases indicators of the level of conservation of biotopes. This work consisted in analyzing the diversity of epiphytes in Côte d'Ivoire. It attempted to test the hypothesis that the diversity of epiphytes depends on the humidity of habitats. To achieve this, we determined the diversity of vascular epiphytes of Côte d'Ivoire recorded in herbaria and literature, then a floristic inventory was carried out in the Azagny National Park. This work allowed the collection of 359 epiphytes, 15 of which are reported both in the ANP and in the literature, and finally, 4 species are reported only in the park flora. Of these species in the park, 83.33% are endemic to the West African forest block and 3.57% are rare, giving these epiphytes a relatively high conservation value. Piper guineense is among all the epiphytes, a utilitarian plant highly valued by local populations.