Floristic composition, diversity of public green spaces in major urban cities in Western Visayas, Philippines

Abstract

The study was conducted in six public green spaces of Bacolod City and Iloilo City. It aims to determine the floristic composition and diversity of public green spaces in major urban cities in Western Visayas, Philippines. A hundred percent inventory was done to determine the data of this study. Eucalyptus camaldulensis was the most common tree species in Bacolod City while Swietenia macrophylla was prevalent in Iloilo City. Of the 1,892 woody species in Bacolod City, there were 52 species, 45 genera, and 26 families. In Iloilo City, there were 563 woody species, comprising 34 species, 33 genera, and 21 families of trees. Simpson Diversity Index was high in the green spaces of Iloilo City and moderately high in Bacolod City. Species eucalyptus, genus Eucalyptus and family Myrtaceae in Bacolod City, and S. macrophylla, Acacia auriculiformis and Terminalia catappa, genus Swietenia and family Meliaceae exceed threshold level of diversity for urban trees. Species importance value based on dbh and crown diameter shows that E. camaldulensis was the most important species in green spaces of Bacolod City. On the other hand, S. macrophylla was the most important species in green spaces of Iloilo City based on dbh and crown diameter.