Ensete ventricosum is a monocarpic perennial crop, in the genus Ensete. The ability of the crop to withstand drought conditions encourages farmers growing enset as a food security crop. Large numbers of enset clones are grown in a wide range of altitude where millions of people rely on it in Ethiopia. Studying enset clones wealth is vital for critical intervention on the clone’s diversity conservation The study was undertaken with the aim of assessing the extent of enset clone wealth, and its Ethnobotanical and Ethnomedicinal association in Yem Special Woreda Southwestern Ethiopia. A total of 200 households from adjacent potential enset-producing 10 Kebeles (small villages) with 20 representatives were selected purposively. Based on farmer’s interview and field observation, 93 vernacularly distinct enset clones with a mean clones per farm of 9.9 were recorded. Different diversity indices (Richness, Evenness, Shannon, and Simpson) were computed. The highest diversity was recorded in Semu Awash Kebele with Shannon index of 3.38 and the lowest was in Nuba Kebele which had an index of 2.56. The study confirmed that farmers of Yem Special Wereda maintain diversified enset clones along with associated belief, song, and medicinal and ritual significance. Future studies to verify the existing genetic diversity of identified enset clones and medicinal values are needed.

Keywords: Enset clones, Diversity Indices, Ethnomedicine, Ethnobotany