Language: French
This sixth volume of the new editorial line of the Flora of Gabon, after three books with several families, is entirely devoted to a single family, Phyllanthaceae. This family, once considered the subfamily Phyllanthoideae within Euphorbiaceae, comprises 16 genera and 65 species in Gabon. The vast majority of species are woody plants in dense forest and only a few are herbaceous in open vegetation. Of these 16 genera, seven are monospecific or include only one species in Gabon. The largest genus is Phyllanthus, with twelve species, and the most important for its role in swamp and riparian vegetation, is Uapaca, with nine species called rikios.
The publication of Flore du Gabon, Volume 43: Phyllanthaceae was preceded by the publication of four new species and several new notes concerning morphologicy and systematics
The role of Phyllanthaceae in the daily life of the Gabonese population is mainly limited to medicinal purposes; only a few offer timber wood of a useful quality and size.