Luizza, Matthew W., authorYoung, Heather, authorKuroiwa, Christina, authorEvangelista, Paul, authorWorede, Aserat, authorBussmann, Rainer W., authorWeimer, Amber, authorBotanical Research Institute of Texas, publisher2017-01-132017-01-132013Luizza, Matthew W., Heather Young, Christina Kuroiwa, Paul Evangelista, Aserat Worede, Rainer W. Bussmann, and Amber Weimer, Local Knowledge of Plants and Their Uses Among Women in the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia, Ethnobotany Research and Applications 11 (2013): 315-340.http://hdl.handle.net/10217/179313Women's local ecological knowledge (LEK) is noted by many scholars to be unique and important for local conservation and development planning. Although LEK integration is inherent to ethnobotanical research, in Ethiopia, the knowledge-gender link has not been fully explored, and few studies focus on women's distinct plant knowledge. We catalogued rural women's knowledge of a wide range of plant uses in south-central Ethiopia, conducted through picture identification of 337 local plants. Fifty-seven plant species were identified, constituting 38 families, with the top five families being Lamiaceae, Solanaceae, Asteraceae, Rosaceae, and Pteridaceae. An array of uses were identified ranging from food, livestock and wildlife forage, to honey production and cosmetics. The most prevalent use noted (nearly 70%) was human medicine. This study reveals the important contribution of rural women's plant knowledge in the Bale Mountains, and the potential benefits of including this gender-distinct understanding of local flora in community-based conservation planning.born digitalarticleseng©2013 by the authors. Published online by Botanical Research Institute of Texas by a license from the authors.Copyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.ethnobotanical knowledgewomenEthiopian cultureplantsBale MountainsconservationText