The present study characterized the plant diversity of oil palm plantations in function of farming practices and their ages. The plant diversity of 7, 11 and 14 years old oil palm plantations evolving in different farming practices was inventoried using 1m x 1m quadrats for herbaceous species and the 20 m wide transects for woody species. The results obtained show that these stands are not very diversified: P7 presents 37 species, 34 genera and 27 families; P11, 27 species 26 genera, 18 families and P14, 31 species, 28 genera, 19 families. Only Ng13 had woody species individualized into trees and shrubs. The combination of manual and chemical weeding and irregular fertilization promotes the diversity of herbaceous species in the different stands. Age and farming practices influence the plant diversity of the stands.

Petersianthus macrocarpus (P. Beauv.) Liben, from the pilot name Abing or Abale, is a species in the family Lecythidaceae. Nowadays, is belongs to the group of species obtained in the past as secondary and which has exploitable potential, especially for wood and non-wood forest products. The present work draws up an ethnobotanical and ecological inventory of this species and provides information in particular on the food potentials for man through the various edible caterpillars of which it is the host. Abing is a woody forest species better known for its edible caterpillar species than for its timber. It is a semi-heliophilic species endemic to the sub-guineocongol region, found in dense evergreen and semi-deciduous forests. Its mode of dispersion is anemochore, its regeneration is slow and it shows and irregular phenology. The abing is host to many species of caterpillars of the family Saturniidae which are highly valued by local populations and which can be marketed. Finally, it is a species so the leaves, bark and roots have medicinal properties which are currently the subject of numerous studies. However, there are few studies relating to its ecology and especially to influence of climate on leaf phenology whose role on the production of edible caterpillars is still questionable. Moreover, the development of additional research is necessary in order to guarantee sustainable exploitation and to propose participative management methods for its resources.