An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants and associated indigenous knowledge was conductedrnbetween March and June 2010 in Bule Hora District, Southern Oromia, Ethiopia. The objectivernof the study was to collect, record, organize and analyze information on the use, management andrnconservation of medicinal plants as well as status of indigenous knowledge of the local people.rnThis area lies between latitudes 50 30 and 50 50 North and longitudes 380 0 and 380 30 East.rnThe study involved traditional healers, knowledgeable elders and local communities. Differentrnethnobotanical techniques were used to collect and analyze the data such as semi â€“ structuredrninterview, guided field walk and observation, group discussion, preference ranking and pairedrncomparison, use diversity matrix and fidelity level index, combined with descriptive statisticalrnanalysis. Sixty informants from eight kebeles were included in the study. A total of 106 plantrnspecies distributed in 98 genera and 46 families were collected from the study area andrnidentified. In terms of number of species, Asteraceae appeared as the most prominent family thatrncontains ten species in eight genera, followed by Rubiaceae containing nine species in eightrngenera and Lamiaceae that contain seven species in seven genera. From the total collectedrnplants, 62 species (58.4%) are used for the treatment of 37 human ailments and 22 speciesrn(20.8%) for 25 livestock ailments, while 22 species (20.8%) are used to treat both livestock andrnhuman ailments. Widely used plant parts for human and livestock health care include leaves,rnroots, seeds, fruits and stems. Higher numbers of species (56.1%) were harvested for their leavesrnfollowed by roots, bark and stems (14.4%, 9.85% and 8.3% respectively). Large numbers (91.5%)rnof medicinal plants were cited to be used in fresh form. Shrub elements constitute the largestrnnumber with 45 species (42.5%) followed by herbaceous, 29 species (27.4%) and trees make thernthird growth forms with 17 species (16.0%) harvested for medicinal value.Oral administration isrnthe dominant route (67.2%), followed by dermal (21.1%) in which pounding, crushing, chewing,rnrubbing, dry bath etc are recorded methods of preparation techniques. Modernization,rnintroduction of new religion and acculturation have contributed in making the youngerrngeneration unwilling to practice and retain traditional knowledge. Even though the study arearnpossesses diverse natural vegetation, the environment is under serious threat, mainly due tornhuman induced pressure such as agricultural activities, fire wood collection, charcoal productionrnand the need for construction materials. These have great effects on the availability of medicinalrnplants in particular and natural resources in general. Awareness raising on sustainablernutilization of medicinal plants and their in â€“ situ and ex- situ conservation are recommended.rnKey words: Ethnobotany, indigenous knowledge, ailments, medicinal plants.