AbstractsBackgroundThis paper reports a study undertaken in three remote communities (Mahaboboka, Amboronabo, Mikoboka), located in Sakaraha, Southwestern Madagascar. Not only villages are far away from sanitary infrastructures and doctors but drugs and consulting fees are unaffordable to villagers. They rely essentially on natural resources for health care as for most of rural areas in Madagascar. This paper aims to document medicinal plants used by communities in Sakaraha and to present the most important plant species used in traditional medicine.MethodsSemi – structured interview was conducted within 214 informants in 34 villages of the study area. Different ailments encountered in the site study were classified in various categories. For data analysis, frequency of citation (Fq), Informant Consensus Factor (Fic), Fidelity Level (FL) and Use Value (UV) were assessed to find agreement among informants about the use of plants as remedies. Mann-Whitney, Kruskall-Wallis and Spearman correlation tests were performed to determine use of medicinal plants following social status of informants.ResultsA total of 235 medicinal plant species belonging to 198 genera and 75 families were inventoried. The richest families in species used for medicinal purposes were: Fabaceae, Apocynaceae, Rubiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae, and Poaceae. Plant species cited by informants were used to treat 76 various ailments classified in 13 categories. Leaves and leafy twigs were the most used plant parts and decoction was the mostly cited way of preparation of these medicinal plants species. In average, local people cited 6.7 ± 6.03 medicinal taxa among them, Cedrelopsis grevei is the most cited medicinal plants (Fq. 0.28). With Cedrelopsis grevei (UV = 0.48), Henonia scoparia (UV = 0.43) are mostly used species. Leonotis nepetifolia (FL = 96%) and Strychnos henningsii (FL = 92%) are plant species claimed by high percentage of informants to treat the Digestive System Disorder.ConclusionsThis study highlighted that medicinal plants used by people from three communities in the Southwestern Madagascar are diverse. These plants species ensure care to all family members including babies, children, mothers and adult people. Through this study, newly reported medicinal plants were identified for further work.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13002-017-0147-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Agnalavelo forest provides necessary natural resources to people who live in its surroundings (Communities of Mahaboboka, Amboronabo and Mikoboka in southwestern Madagascar). The aim of this study is to document goods and ecosystem services provided by Agnalavelo forest to local people and to use it as a tool for the identification of priorities for forest conservation. Oral interviews were undertaken from 2010-2013 with local communities living in the vicinity of Agnalavelo forest. This study also investigated forest resource use, conducted inventories of tree species, estimated wood biovolume, as well as the economic benefits associated with conservation due to carbon storage. Finally, we recorded felled trees caused by honey collection inside the forest and determine the cause for their slaughter. An investigation with the ownership of rice fields irrigated by rivers taking sources from Agnalavelo forest was also conducted. Based on field surveys and analysis, communities living around Agnalavelo forest draw substantial benefits for their daily life from the forest. Goods and ecosystem services are classified in the three categories (provisioning, cultural and regulating services) according to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA). Cultural services are highly valuable to local people as the forest is a dwelling place for their ancestor's spirits. Agnalavelo forest provides Non Wood Forest Products (NWFPs) such as foods, tools, magic and medicinal plants and fresh water for local people. It is able to store 152 tons of carbon per hectare which is very important for climate regulation in this dry southwestern part of Madagascar. Endemic tree species hosting bee hives are often felled during harvesting period. Agnalavelo forest conservation is very important not only with regards to its biodiversity but also for goods and services that it provides to local population.

A new species of the Afro-Malagasy genus Phyllopentas Kârehed & B. Bremer, Phyllopentas flava Razafim., T. Andriam. et Kârehed, is described and illustrated. This plant is restricted to the Itremo region in southeastern Madagascar and is distinct morphologically from the other species of the genus by its pubescent, narrowly ovate to narrowly elliptic leaves, grey-whitish and thickly hairy midribs and secondary veins on the lower surfaces of leaves, and functionally dioecious and heterodistylous flowers. Summaries of distribution, phenology, habitat, and ecology are given and a conservation assessment is also provided.

Pentachlaena vestita Andriam., Lowry & G.E. Schatz (Sarcolaenaceae) is described as a new species from open, frequently burned vegetation on quartzite substrate on Mt. Ambatolahinanahary in central Madagascar. It can be distinguished from Pentachlaena latifolia H. Perrier, which it most closely resembles, by several foliar characters including leaf size and venation, and especially by the presence of a dense stellate-strigose indument on the inflorescences, flowers, and fruits, and which almost totally obscures the abaxial leaf surface. A description of the new species is accompanied by a line drawing and photos taken in the field, along with a preliminary assessment of its risk of extinction following the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, which indicates a status of "Endangered".

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A new species of Turraea L. (Meliaceae) is described from Southwestern Madagascar : Turraea cauliflora J.-F. Leroy & Lescot ex Randrianari. & Callm. The new species is endemic to the Analavelona massif, which is a sacred forest to local population and recently became a protected area. The Analavelona region exhibits a unique subhumid vegetation in an area dominated by dry habitats. The new species differs from the other Malagasy species of Turraea by its cauliflorous inflorescence and its pubescence on the peduncle and fruit. Line drawings are provided, along with a discussion of its morphological affinities and a preliminary assessment of its risk of extinction based on IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.