Table 1 The 15 most important species in the understory and canopy in each rural forest according to decreasing order of importance value index

Essiengbot-Mbankoho rural forest

 Theobroma cacao

0.17

1.02

7.66

8.85

Ricinodendron heudelotii

2.16

2.46

10.44

15.06

 Albizia adianthifolia

0.95

4.56

1.58

7.08

Musanga cecropioides

1.89

5.61

5.65

13.15

 Coffea canephora

0.26

1.28

4.70

6.24

Petersianthus macrocarpus

2.84

4.38

5.64

12.86

 Tabernaemontana crassa

1.12

2.08

2.11

5.31

Albizia adianthifolia

2.16

2.61

1.76

6.54

 Trichilia monadelpha

0.82

1.19

3.30

5.30

Triplochiton scleroxylon

0.54

0.54

5.38

6.46

 Petersianthus macrocarpus

1.07

1.51

2.43

5.01

Distemonanthus benthamianus

2.03

1.46

2.68

6.17

 Myrianthus arboreus

1.03

1.22

2.45

4.71

Theobroma cacao

0.27

4.84

0.64

5.75

 Vernonia conferta

0.39

0.89

2.94

4.21

Uapaca guineensis

1.62

1.46

1.96

5.04

 Microdesmis puberula

0.99

2.69

0.19

3.87

Sterculia tragacantha

1.76

1.54

1.60

4.89

 Whitfieldia elongata

0.64

3.21

0.00

3.86

Heisteria trillesiana

1.22

1.77

1.76

4.75

 Distemonanthus benthamianus

0.99

2.82

0.00

3.80

Pycnanthus angolensis

2.03

1.46

1.25

4.74

 Alchornea floribunda

0.82

0.54

2.22

3.57

Alstonia boonei

1.35

0.92

2.40

4.67

 Albizia glaberrima

0.86

2.60

0.00

3.46

Ficus mucoso

1.08

1.23

1.98

4.29

 Uapaca paludosa

0.90

1.82

0.73

3.45

Persea americana

1.08

2.31

0.67

4.06

 Pycnanthus angolensis

0.39

0.91

1.93

3.23

Macaranga barteri

1.08

1.84

0.70

3.63

 Remains (453)

88.61

71.66

67.75

228.02

Remains (212)

76.89

65.56

55.49

197.95

 Total

100.00

100.00

100.00

300.00

Total

100.00

100.00

100.00

300.00

Nbgwassa-Opkweng rural forest

 Theobroma cacao

0.57

1.90

19.71

22.18

Musanga cecropioides

2.81

7.47

7.33

17.61

 Mallotus oppositifolius

0.78

9.57

0.75

11.11

Petersianthus macrocarpus

1.98

3.71

4.97

10.65

 Millettia sanagana

0.97

4.94

2.41

8.33

Terminalia superba

1.87

1.55

5.38

8.81

 Myrianthus arboreus

1.03

1.33

5.36

7.72

Theobroma cacao

0.73

7.11

0.69

8.54

 Desbordesia glaucescens

0.84

3.46

0.50

4.80

Coelocaryon preussii

2.39

3.41

1.77

7.57

 Coelocaryon preussii

0.97

0.68

2.87

4.52

Distemonanthus benthamianus

2.29

1.85

3.30

7.44

 Psychotria lastistipula

0.81

3.58

0.00

4.40

Triplochiton scleroxylon

0.83

0.96

5.51

7.30

 Albizia adianthifolia

1.06

1.64

1.55

4.24

Dichostemma glaucescens

1.56

2.87

1.79

6.22

 Tetrorchidium didymostemon

0.51

0.48

3.03

4.02

Pterocarpus soyauxii

1.14

0.96

3.97

6.07

 Tabernaemontana crassa

0.97

1.76

1.28

4.01

Myrianthus arboreus

2.19

2.57

0.97

5.73

 Microdesmis puberula

0.81

1.37

1.83

4.01

Pseudospondias microcarpa

2.08

1.79

1.76

5.63

 Distemonanthus benthamianus

0.92

1.50

1.28

3.70

Margaritaria discoidea

1.87

2.03

1.54

5.44

 Bridelia micrantha

0.81

0.98

1.55

3.34

Pycnanthus angolensis

1.56

1.32

2.52

5.40

 Macaranga barteri

0.65

0.58

2.08

3.31

Celtis tessmannii

1.66

1.26

2.12

5.04

 Vernonia conferta

1.27

2.03

0.00

3.30

Ricinodendron heudelotii

1.14

0.96

2.91

5.01

 Remains (519)

87.01

64.18

55.80

206.99

Remains (210)

73.88

60.19

53.47

187.54

 Total

100.00

100.00

100.00

300.00

Total

100.00

100.00

100.00

300.00