Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

128 ANTHERICACEAE
Chemistry and
use
Conservation
nectar is excreted from small pores and gathers in the
bottom of the flowers. There does not seem to be any
sophisticated pollination adaptations, and the flowers
are probably pollinated by flies and bees (or some of the
small flowered species might be self-pollinated).
The capsules open by splits from the top and the seed
dispersal mechanism is probably ballistic, meaning that
the seeds are held on the mother plant until a strong
blow from the outside releases the seeds. Some species,
however, release the seeds on the ground, possibly for
small animals to carry them further away.
The flowers of most species are not particularly showy,
and with few exceptions the plants are not grown as
ornamentals. One exception is Chlorophytum comosum,
‘the mother and child plant’, which is grown for the foliage
(often variegated, yellow and green striped) and for the
small plantlets that develop from the inflorescence.
Steroidal saponins are common in the family and
cyanogenic glycosides are reported from Chlorophytum,
both substances probably reduce herbivory.
Six of the species in this family are strictly endemic to
Ethiopia/Eritrea, i.e. Anthericum neghellense, Chlo rophytum
ducis-aprutii, C. herrmanni, C. pseudocaule,
C. pterocarpum, and C. serpens. In addition, seven
species are near­endemic, only occurring in adjacent
localities in Kenya, Somalia and Yemen, i.e. Anthericum
jamesii, A. tetraphyllum, Chlorophytum bifolium,
C. inconspicuum, C. zavattarii, C. humi fusum, and C.
pendulum. Ethiopia has a special responsibilty to survey
and conserve these species, which constitute c. 40% of
the species of the family in the study area. The Horn of
Africa represents an important centre of diversity for the
family Anthericaceae.
As far as we know, the plants are neither sought after
as ornamentals, nor have they been utilised in Ethiopia
as medicine or food. The only threat to the species is
probably habitat destruction. Species that only exist in
a single locality, as e.g. C. pterocarpum, are certainly
vulnerable.