Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

134 ANTHERICACEAE
Habitat and
distribution
Anthericum
angustifolium
Description
Fig. 71.
Anthericum
angustifolium,
from Debre
Libanos. Shewa
floristic region.
shorter than the tepals, and filaments longer than the anthers which
are bright orange. Capsules subglobose, slightly trigonous, ca. 3
mm long. Seeds irregularly folded, ca. 1 mm across.
This species is found in open scrub or grassland on reddish
or blackish heavy soils, often in degraded and overgrazed
habitats between 1250 and 3400 m. It is widespread in
Ethiopia, recorded from the Tigray, Gonder, Gojam,
Welo, Shewa, Arsi, Wel lega, Sidamo and Bale floristic
regions. Otherwise it is only known from Eritrea and
Yemen.
With the tolerance for heavy disturbance and the
wide distribution within Ethiopia, it is interesting that it
has (almost) not reached outside Ethiopia/Eritrea. The
species might have originated with the very early human
influence in the region, and with its restricted potential
for dispersal it has remained a near­endemic plant.
Species that may grow in over­exploited areas represent
interesting genetic resour ces for revegetation and
rehabilitation of heavily degraded areas. The flowering
period is from April to July.
5. Anthericum angustifolium Hochst. ex A. Rich.
The specific epithet ‘angustifolium’ refers to the narrow
leaves. The species was na med by Hochstetter and
published by Richard in 1851, based on material from
Tig ray, collected by a French botanist, Quartin­Dillon.
Small plants up to 10 cm. Leaves linear, 5–10 × 0.2–0.5 cm, glabrous
or with ciliate margins. Peduncle very short and hidden among the
leaves; rachis almost completely reduced, making the inflorescence
umbel­like rather than racemose. Pedicels 30–80 mm long. Flowers
white, slightly greenish outside, star­like, 1–10 to a plant; tepals
8–12 × 2–3 mm, three–veined. Stamens shorter than the tepals, with
filaments ca. 4 mm, and longer than the yellow anthers, which are