Preliminary Inventory of Plants Diversity in University of Uyo Main Campus

Abstract

The preliminary inventory of plants which was carried out in University of Uyo main campus using the transect method to sample the area gave rise to 7 sampling units and resulted in the collection and identification of 76 species of plants in 33 families. The most frequent plant species in the area of study were members of the family Papilionaceae (30%), followed by members of the family Euphorbiaceae (26%) and members of the family Asteraceae (23%). Species of Combretum were found in all the sampling units except Combretum racemosum which was found in only one sampling unit. The result provided a medium for grouping the plants into 5 classes’ based on their abundance. The classes were as follows: rare (17 plants), occasional (34 plants), frequent (21 plants), abundant (3 plants) and very abundant (1 plant). Generally, the vegetation in the area of study is under threat due to massive infrastructural development embarked upon by the university to enable different faculties and units move from the town campus. The rare species included Acanthus montanus, Anthonotha macrophylla, Baphia maxima, Baphia polygalaceae, Callichilia stenosepala, Combretum bracteatum,Combretum hispidum, Dialium guineense, Harungana madagascariensis, Ludwigia suffruticosa, Mallotus oppositifolius, Pentaclethra macrophylla, Physalis angulata, Sesamum radiatum, Spondias mombin and Triumfetta heudelotii. To ensure proper management of the rare plants, it is hereby suggested that more data on the distribution and frequency of these plant should be carried out on the undeveloped portion of the university main campus so that these rare plants could be introduced to the area allocated for the botanic garden in order to conserve them.