The award will be officially handed to Michel Arbonnier at CIRAD on October 6th during a ceremony chaired by Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries.
This book, whose third edition was published in 2009, is more than just about plants, but a true field guide that is a result of the author’s field and practical experience in forestry, gathered during fifteen years. The French Academy of Agriculture chose this reference work in botany and ethnobotany, as it is, in their words, "very appreciated by researchers, teachers and managers of woodlands in the countries concerned".
Indeed, the book has filled a gap in the documentation of the flora of the dry zones of West Africa. It lists 360 species easily identifiable through 1300 color photographs of flowers, fruits, leaves and barks. And, since the trees contribute to the stability of the landscape by filling numerous functions and services, an updated inventory of traditional uses of the plants, medicinal, nutritional, animal feed and agronomic are also available.
Michel Arbonnier is a forester and botanist at CIRAD dedicated to studying the flora of Africa for thirty years. Two new books are planned in the near future: one on the Central African montane orchids and the second one, on woody species in the same region.
Le prix Clément Jacquoit pour Michel Arbonnier
