Abstract

The study assessed the ornamental plants in Maitama District of the Abuja Municipal Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria with the view of establishing theirsequestration and aesthetic roles. The study area was purposively selected based on its residential characteristics. The study used Simpson’s Index (SI) to obtain and analyze data. The findings show that the plant species that were found in the study area; Artificial palm trees, Aloha, Blush Noisette, Antirrhinum majus, Alstroemeria, African Daisy, Aconitum and Masquerade trees. The first quadrant is heterogeneous with a low value of species composition, in the second quadrant, the dominant species is Blush Noisette with a value of 26. In third quadrant, there are four different species of plant totaling 81 with a Simpson’s Index value of 0.2605. For the Biomass estimation for the samples, Antirrhinum majus and Aconitum have the highest mean DBH (47.3cm and 43.5cm), AGB (124kg and 95.8 kg), BGB (32.27 kg and 24.91 kg) and TB (156.37 kg and 120.71 kg). The rate of carbon stored in the ornamental plants within the study area differs among tree species and this could be associated with the different characteristics of the tree species such as leaf width, DBH and tree age. Antirrhinum majus has the highest rate of average carbon storage (78.18kg) and CO₂ sequestered at the rate of 286.64kg, which is equivalent to 26.06kg annually per tree species and 1719.85kg for the 66 trees. The study concluded that, aside from the beautification function of the plant species in the study area, the volume of the ornamental plants can serve as carbon sink in the study area and are rich to help in the reduction of carbon (iv) oxide released by vehicles and other machines plighting around the study area. The strength of tree species to reduce the carbon content in and around the environment depends on its composition and dynamics. The study recommended that to offset carbon and related pollution associated with urban activities, trees with high carbon intake such as Masquerade tree should be planted along the streets and open space.

Key Words: Heterogeneous, Aesthetic plants, Biomass, Sequestration and Carbon sink