Scholarly Output

Publications

Research papers, preprints, and formal citations from our ethnobotanical programme.

Preprint

Preliminary Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Plants in the Shashemene Biodiversity Garden, Ethiopia

Taye, L., Taye, D., & [Co-authors] March 2026 12 min read DOI: pending

This paper presents the first systematic documentation of medicinal plant species recorded during field surveys at the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute's Shashemene Biodiversity Garden. We report 24 species with trilingual nomenclature, traditional use descriptions, and preliminary verification against EBI herbarium records. The survey highlights significant gaps in published ethnobotanical literature for the Sidama Zone and proposes a framework for community-acknowledged research co-authorship.

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Taye, L., Taye, D., & [Co-authors]. (2026). Preliminary Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Plants in the Shashemene Biodiversity Garden, Ethiopia. Shashemene Flora Archive Preprint Series, No. 001.

Field Report

Traditional Use of Enset (Ensete ventricosum) in Highland Medicine: Field Notes from Bale-Shashemene

Taye, D., Taye, L. April 2026 8 min read

A focused field report documenting traditional medicinal applications of false banana (Ensete ventricosum) beyond its role as a staple food crop. Based on interviews with three community informants and cross-referencing with EBI specimen EBI-SH-042, this report details preparation methods for wound healing and bone-setting applications observed in local practice.

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Taye, D., & Taye, L. (2026). Traditional Use of Enset (Ensete ventricosum) in Highland Medicine: Field Notes from Bale-Shashemene. Shashemene Flora Archive Field Report Series, No. 002.

In Preparation

A Framework for Digital Ethnobotanical Archiving: Lessons from the Shashemene Flora Archive

Taye, L. May 2026 15 min read

This methodological paper describes the digital infrastructure developed for the Shashemene Flora Archive — a static, accessible plant database with multilingual search, verification status workflows, and structured metadata designed for seamless migration to backend systems. Intended for submission to an open-access ethnobotany or biodiversity informatics journal.

Coming Soon

Taye, L. (2026). A Framework for Digital Ethnobotanical Archiving: Lessons from the Shashemene Flora Archive. [In preparation].