ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF WILD EDIBLE PLANTS IN DODOLA DISTRICT,WEST ARSI ZONE, OROMIA REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA

ABSTRACT   Wild edible plants are species that grow naturally in the wild and are not cultivated or   domesticated.The objective of the study was to document wild edible plants in the   Dodola district, West Arsi Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. Both quantitative and   qualitative research methods were used.More specifically,cross-sectional study design   was used.The purposive sampling techniques were used to select key informants, and   simple random sampling techniques were used to select the general.Ten kebeles were   selected purposively from 27 kebeles in the district based on accessibility, proximity,   availability of vegetation.A total of 152 were randomly selected simple random   sampling technique.Ethnobotanical data was collected using semistructuredinterview,field observation, focus group discussions and market   survey.Informant consensus,preference ranking,direct matrix ranking, fidelity level index   and jaccard’s coefficient of similarity were used for data analysis.A total of 39 wild   edible plants species belonging to 25 families and 32 genera were identified. The   Rosaceae and Fabaceae had the greatest numbers of plants, with five and three species,   respectively. Herbs was the dominan tgrowth form (19 species), followed by   shrubs(12species).Opuntia ficus indica and Cordia africana are the most preferred wild   edible plants in the district.Cordia africana and Syzygium guineense are species with   multiple uses.Agricultural expansion, charcoal production, making agricultural tools,   deforestation, and other factors were the top prioritized threats affecting the abundance   and diversity of wild edible plants.Nevertheless, wild edible plants are recently   threatened due to various anthropogenic factors in the study area. Thus, public   awareness and community-based management and they need wise use and in-situ and   ex-situ conservation measures from all the concerned bodies for sustainable use in the   future.