12Dec 2017

IDENTIFICATION, CHARACTERIZATION AND DOCUMENTATION OF MEDICINAL AND WILD EDIBLE PLANTS IN KASHAF KEBELE, MENGE WOREDA, BENISHANGUL GUMUZ, ETHIOPIA.

  • Assosa University, College of natural and computational Science, Department of Biology.
  • Assosa University, College of Agriculture, department of Agronomy.
  • Abstract
  • Keywords
  • References
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  • Corresponding Author

This study was conducted on Identification, Characterization and Documentation of Medicinal and Wild Edible Plants in KashafKebele, MengeWoreda, and BenishangulGumuz. A study sites was purposively selected in and around the adaptation site that established by Assosa Environmental Protection Authority and a variety of ethnobotanical methods were applied including semi-structured interviews, field guided observations, group discussion and interview with local healers and then analyzed by descriptive statistics. A total of 60 plant species have been identified of which 32 (53%) are only medicinal plants, 21 (35%) are only wild edible plants. and 7 (12%) species are used for both medicinal and edible. About 33 (84.62%) species are used to treat only human ailments whereas 6 (15.38%) species are used to treat both human and livestock ailments. About 23 types of human disease and 5 types of livestock ailments were treated by these plants. Highest number of species were collected from Fabaceae Family 9 (15%) followed by Combretaceae, Malvaceae, Moraceae, Anacardiaceae and Tiliaceae with each of them containing 3 (5%) plant species. Most of plant species had the tree life forms/habitats. Different parts of the plants like leaf, bark, root, stem, flower, seed and fruits are used for medication and edibility. A remedy from these plant parts is mostly prepared as fresh by mixing with water as solvent after ground. Fruit 21 (35%)is accounted to be the most edible plant parts and mostly taken as raw. Elderly people and local healers of had ample knowledge on preparation of medicinal and WEPs practices along with the ecological distribution of plants as compared to young generation. Thesemedicinal and WEPs had multi-purpose values however, local communities had less awareness on its conservation and multipurpose values. Therefore, plants found in and around kashafkebele are very important as medicinal and edible foods for treating human and livestock ailments as well as sources of food during normal times and when there is shortage of food. Moreover, indigenous knowledge was hidden among the local people. Therefore, government should give more attention to this indigenous knowledge to apply to modern knowledge of science and technology and implement different conservation strategies.


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[Dessalegn Ayele and Deressa Negasa. (2017); IDENTIFICATION, CHARACTERIZATION AND DOCUMENTATION OF MEDICINAL AND WILD EDIBLE PLANTS IN KASHAF KEBELE, MENGE WOREDA, BENISHANGUL GUMUZ, ETHIOPIA. Int. J. of Adv. Res. 5 (Dec). 193-204] (ISSN 2320-5407). www.journalijar.com


Dessalegn Ayele and Deressa Negassa


DOI:


Article DOI: 10.21474/IJAR01/5955      
DOI URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.21474/IJAR01/5955