**6. Plants provenance of Togo's horticultural flora**

Fifty-two percent of the horticultural flora species in Togo are coming from Americas against less than 20% from Africa (**Figure 6**). Outside the Americas (30%) and Asia (25%), each of

In the list of horticultural plants in Togo, three families with only one genus are ornamentals by their fruits. Families are *Arecaceae, Bignoniaceae*, and *Moraceae.* Species concerned are *Cocos* 

Usefulness of Plant Biodiversity in the Cities of Togo http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.76776 213

Depending on the season, the characteristics previously described (foliage, habit/look, flowering, and fruit) can be combined to give the plant its ornamental or decorative appearance. It may be the foliage and flowers (as for *Adenium obesum* (Forssk.) Roem & Schult. and *Plumeria rubra* L. from the *Apocynaceae* family; or flowers-habit/look association (as for *Guaiacum officinale* L. (*Zygophyllaceae*); or foliage and inflorescences (case of *Bougainvillea glabra* Choisy *variegata, Ligustrum ovalifolium* Hassk., and the aquatic plant *Victoria regia*

The inventory gives 35 species grouped into 17 families and 26 genera used as curbs, walkways or paths plants. There are generally decorative trees and shrubs by their leaves and look

Others used as outdoor garden plants are trees, shrubs, and herbs potted, installed outdoors or putted in the ground on lawns. Isolated plants, lawns plants, bedding, ornamental or protective hedges, ground cover or coating plants, and water decorative plants can also be

Isolated plants are 49 species grouped into 34 genera belonging to 21 families. For a species to be planted alone in a garden, it must offer a spectacle of beauty either by its foliage (*Nerium oleander variegatum*) or by its look (*Araucaria excelsa* R. Br and *Cycas revoluta* Thunb.) or by its flowers (*Mussaenda philippica*, *Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, and Polianthes tuberosa* L.) or its fruits

The *Poaceae* are mostly used in Togo as lawn plants. In alphabetical order, this study was collected: *Chrysopogon aciculatus* (Retz.) Trin, *Cynodon dactylon* Pers, *Paspalum distichum* L.

A part from lawns, other plants are used to cover non-grassed bare surfaces. These include creepers such as *Episcia cupreata* (Hook.) Hanst. (*Gesneriaceae*) or twining plants such as *Ipomoea quamoclit* (*Convolvulaceae*). Depending on the structure of the plant, some species are used as carpets; this is the case *Wedelia trilobata* (L.) Hitch. (*Asteraceae*) or in wall carpet as the

Twenty-eight species grouped into 18 genera and 15 families are bedding grown ornamental plants. Species commonly inventoried are *Acanthus mollis* L. *Barleria lupulina* Lindl. (*Acanthaceae*), *Canna generalis* L. H. Bailey (*Cannaceae*), *Lantana camara* L. (*Verbenaceae*), *Thunbergia erecta* (Benth.) T. Anders., *Turnera ulmifolia* L. (*Turneraceae*), and *Yucca aloifolia* L.

*Stenotaphrum secundatum* (Walt.) Kuntze. *variegatum,* and *Zoysia tenuifolia* Trin.

*nucifera* L., *Crescentia cujete* L., and *Artocarpus altilis* (Parkinson) Fosberg.

**8. Distribution of ornamental species according to their use**

and seasonally by their inflorescences such as *Khaya senegalensis* and *Delonix regia*.

Lindl.).

distinguished.

(*Crescentia cujete* L.).

(*Agavaceae*).

case of *Ficus pumila* L. (*Moraceae*).

**Figure 6.** Species distribution according to taxonomic groups and continents.

the three other continents include 15% of Pteridophyta identified. The Gymnosperms are 53% from the Americas and only 10% are from Africa. Concerning the monocotyledons, the species originated from Africa account for only 15% of the total. This percentage is 20% for dicotyledons. Among dicotyledons, the plants originating from the Americas include only 54% of the total.
