The palm of flora of West Africa: Côte d'lvoire, Ghana, Togo and Bénin

We present the first comprehensive floristic treatment of the native palms from Cote d'lvoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin. The morphology of vegetative and reproductive organs and the ecology of the 21 different palm species in 11 genera are described and the geographical distribution as well as informative figures are presented for all taxa reported in the area. Identification keys to all genera and species are proposed to facilitated identification of living individuals and herbarium material. Our survey includes almost 60 % of all palm species currently reported for West Africa. We also present analyses on the taxonomic, floristic, growth habit and morphologic diversity, the ecology and the economic importance. The main threats faced by the species present in the studied area are preliminary discussed.