Floral composition and diversity of the lagos coastal environment, South-Western, Nigeria

The present study investigates the floral diversity of the Lagos coastal environments by sampling 21 points using the quadrat method. The study revealed two major aquatic ecosystem types (mangrove and freshwater swamp) and recorded 125 species belonging to 108 genera and 49 families. While Alchornea cordifolia and Raphia hookeri were found as the most frequent, Acalypha crenata and Acrostichum aureum were the least abundant species. The highest and lowest species-rich locations were Unilag (n = 125 species) and Abule Osun (n = 2 species), respectively. The vegetation structure of the LCE is dominated by herbaceous species. Our findings provide insights on the flora diversity of the LCE, and a guideline for the effective conservation of near-threatened species such as Nauclea diderrichii and Mitragyna stipulosa in this coastal ecosystem is presented.