Present study was aimed to understand the scientific basis of the farmer’s nomenclature of the local varieties of Cleome gynandra L. and to identify the characters of interests that can be used for the varietal improvement of the species. A survey was carried out in five cities of Burkina Faso with 56 producers of C. gynandra with the help of semi-structured interviews to identify the preferential characters. Furthermore thirty accessions were collected and evaluated in July 2014 at Gampela according to randomized complete block design with seventeen variables. The study revealed that in the denomination of local varieties, the farmers use agromorphological characters such as the color of the stem, leaves and the vegetative cycle of the plant. It was also revealed that the selection of plant in the
vegetable gardens is preferred for the green color of the stem, leaves, long vegetative cycle, height of the plant, dimensions of the leaves and the number of primary branches. These were the selective interests for the farmers identified during the survey. The study also revealed that the process of selection is more advanced in Ouagadougou, where the demand is very high and where the consumers are more as compared to the other localities where the choice of the plant has just began for consumption. The results of this study have permitted to undertake the varietal improvement of the species according to the needs of the producers whose majority have a particular preference for the green ecotypes with long cycle.

Cleome gynandra, Selection, Agromorphological characterization, Burkina Faso