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ABSTRACT
The origin of Ika (Agbor) Kingdom dates back to the 18th Century and very little is known of the folk plant taxonomy and ethnobotany of this civilization which derives its origin from the forest Kingdom of Benin. This study investigates and documents for the first time the plants found in Ika kingdom, their folk taxonomy and ethnobotany. Several biweekly reconnaissance surveillances were conducted within Agbor town and the adjourning towns and villages from June 2016 to October 2017. Common plants of the area were inventoried and their respective data on ethnobotanical uses obtain through oral interviews. Plants were first identified by their Ika (vernacular) names, followed by scientific and common English names. A total of 200 plant species were collected out of which only 198 were taxonomically determined. The identified plants were distributed among 59 Families and 157 Genera. Among the most prevalent families were Fabaceae (23%), closely followed by Malvaceae (19%), Poaceae (13%) and Euphorbiaceae (13%). Ethonobotanically, most of the inventoried plants were used for food and medicine. The study is the first Ika Plant Names Checklist and also the first to document the culture of the people of Ika kindgom from an ethnobotanical perspective which provides veritable information in scientifically harnessness and projecting the contributions of Ika society to a global audience and could be a reference point for further studies.
