Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

Habitat and
distribution
Aloe clarkei
Description
Habitat and
distribution
ALOE 101
with smooth surface; marginal teeth 3 mm long, white with brown
tips, 7–10 mm apart or 6–8 per 10 cm length; exudate drying yellow.
Inflorescence 45–55 cm long, 7–8 branched; raceme cylindrical,
10–22 cm long, lax, with 1–2 flowers per cm length. Flowers
subsecund on the raceme. Bracts ovate­acuminate at the apex, 3–4
× 2.5 mm. Pedicel 5–6 mm long (elongating to 10 mm in fruit).
Perianth scarlet, (yellow-flowered according to Ash 1757) 28–30
mm long, base truncate, 6 mm across; outer tepals free for 6–8 mm
long. Young capsules 17–20 × 7 mm.
It grows in Combretum-Terminalia woodland on edge
of cliffs on volcanic outcrops. Associated plants include
Combretum collinum, Acacia polyacantha subsp. campylacantha,
Ficus sycomorus, etc. between 1365 and
1700 m. Known so far only from the Ghibe Gorge in
Kefa floristic region. The main flowering period is in
November and between March and April.
39. Aloe clarkei L. Newton
The specific epithet ‘clarkei’ refers to the collector of
the type specimen, Paul Clarke. It was described from
the Naita Mtn in northern tip of the Elimi triangle, an
area bordering SE Sudan in Kefa floristic region by Len
Newton in 2002.
It is a unique plant among the caulescent aloes
(numbers 31–41) in being a dwarf plant c. 30 cm long
with marginal teeth on the leaves hooked and pointing
to leaf apex and is restricted to SW Kefa bordering the
Elimi triangle.
Dwarf caulescent plant with stems to c. 30 cm long, erect initially,
but freely branching at base to form clumps. Leaves laxly rosulate,
1–1.5 cm apart, lanceolate, up to 18 × 3 cm, green with a light waxy
bloom and scattered elongated whitish spots occasionally with
irregular transverse bands , more seen below; marginal teeth hooked
pointing towards the leaf apex, 3 mm long, green with white tip, 6–9
mm apart. Inflorescence solitary, branched to 50 cm long, with 2–6
racemes. Racemes cylindrical; terminal ones 10 × 6 cm and lateral
ones smaller; bracts ovate­attenuate, scarious, 6 × 3 mm with one
reddish brown veins extending into the acuminate apex; pedicels to
15 mm long; perianth 25–26 mm long cylindrical above the ovary ,
trigonous above; outer tepals free for 10–12 mm long; stamens with
pale yellow filaments , anthers exerted. Fruit 13–15 × 5 mm.
The species grows in light shade in openings in montane
forest at about 1980 m. Known so far only from Naita Mtn