Aromatic plants and spices are an important part of biodiversity. In the absence of exhaustive inventory of this diversity, valorization work is generally limited to a limited lot of ethnobotanical heritage species. Surveys were conducted with 370 people in the hills department of Benin and focused on the inventory of food plants used as aromatic plants and spices. A total of 27 plant species have been identified and distributed in 18 families, the richest of which are Lamiaceae (3) and Annonaceae (3). The ten most quoted plants found in all ethnic groups are Capsicum annuum, piper guineense, Zingiber officinale, Allium sativum, crassocephalum rubens, Lippia multiflora, Ocimum basilicum, Ocimum gratissimum, Allium cepa et Pimpinella anisum. 59.26% of species are herbaceous and among the species inventoried, 18 (66.67%) are cultivated and 9 (33.33%) are grown in the wild. The most used parts are leaves with 32.67% of responses followed by seeds (14.66%), fruits (13.75%), tubers (12.89% of responses) and bulbs (12.39%). The use of different plant organs varies following ethnics groups but the leaves are most prized across ethnic groups. Three forms of use of the species identified: the plants used for their aroma (62.06% of the species), the plants consumed in the form of spices (20.69% of the species) and the plants used both as aromatic plants and spices (17.24% of the species). Sometimes used in fresh or dry form, these species are either crushed (48.87% of responses), crushed (25.16% of responses) or crushed (15.55% of responses) or sliced ​​ (10.42% of responses). Ten diseases were recorded, the most cited being infections (34.29%), digestive disorders (17.14%) and malaria (11.43%). Apart from the frequently used species that are already grown others like Crassocephalum crepidioides, Lippia multiflora, Mondia whitei are at the stage of domestication or wild and deserve special attention.

Solanum scabrum Mill. is an important leaf vegetable grown in the tropics and is among the traditional leafy vegetables that are more consumed in food use. In Benin this crop is underused despite its importance in human alimentation, in the traditional pharmacopeia and in socioeconomic plan. Ethnobotanical surveys were conducted in the Plateau department of southeastern Benin and trials were set up to compare the vegetative growth of the two morphotypes on the one hand and to evaluate the effect of spacings on growth. The values of diversity and fairness indices are low (ID = 0.74 <3 and IE = 0.43 <0.5), indicating an uneven distribution of knowledge about the uses of the species. It is the Nagot (Women, ID = 0.16 and IE = 0.09 and men, ID = 0.14 and IE = 0.08) who hold most of the knowledge about the species. Levels of domestication 0 and 1 were recorded in the villages of Ifangni and Sakété while in Kétou, Pobè and Adja-Ouèrè, levels of domestication are advanced. The Nagot practice picking, the Holli are more market gardening while the Mahi are both picking and market gardening. There is a diversity structured in two morphotypes that are distinguished by recognition traits well defined by the populations. Of the three spacings used (20x50 cm, 30x50 cm and 50x50 cm), that of 30x50cm would optimize vegetative growth and yield for a better productivity of S. scabrum. Further domestication studies are needed to promote the sustainable use of this leaf vegetable in Benin.

The use of biodegradable food packaging plants could provide an alternative to plastic packaging, particularly for some traditional foods. This work aims to investigate the species of plant leaves used as food packaging in the food crafts in West Africa through their domestication. Data on different species of plant leaves have been collected through a survey among 8 municipalities in Benin using tools and methods based on focus groups. The criteria to select priority species for domestication have been identified from the pair wise comparison of plant species identified in each locality, using standard method. A larval toxicity test was performed on the main species to ensure their safety for domestication. A total of 43 plant species belonging to 29 families have been identified. From them, about 20% was domesticated and 80% were grown naturally. A total of 21.5% of natural species are in the way to be domesticated from which ten (10) have been identified as priority, non-toxic with domestication level varying between 2 (Acceptable level) and 3 (High level). These species include Thalia geniculata, Siphonochilus aethiopicus, Sarcocephalus latifolius, Cyrtosperma senegalense, Daniellia oliveri, Agyrea nervosa (High level of domestication) and Ampelocissus leonensis, Isoberlinia doka, Sterculia tragacantha, Icacina trichantha (Acceptable level of domestication). Due to the benefits that provide these species, particularly their biodegradability, it should be wonderful to develop an intensive policy of domestication for their sustainable use.