Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

174 AMARYLLIDACEAE
Crinum macowanii
Description
Habitat and
distribution
analyses have shown that the radial symmetrical
Crinum species (i.e.’Stenaster) in Africa have two plant
geographical connections: to America and to Asia, C.
bambusetum connects towards the east, i.e. to the Asiatic
taxa.
2. Crinum macowanii Baker
The specific epithet refers to MacOwan, a South African
plant collector in the 19 th century. It was described by
Baker in 1878. It belongs to the group of Crinums with
connivent, rather than recurved tepals, thus forming a
bell (‘Codo no crinum’), rather than a star (‘Stenaster’).
The species is recognised by its glaucous undulate
leaves, lacking entire apices (due to the fact that all leaves
wither down in the dry season and grow from the base
in the rainy season). It is the only Ethiopian species in
‘Codonocrinum’ that has pedicellate (stalked) flowers.
Leaves glaucous, broadly lanceolate, 10–60 × 6–10 cm at anthesis,
more or less prostrate, without a distinct midrib, and most leaves
lacking intact apices. Scape 10–30 cm. Involucral bracts papery,
and early drooping. Buds erect. Flowers 7–14, subsessile to
pedicellate, up to 2 cm, perianth tube curved, 8–12 cm, free part
of tepals white with a faint pink dorsal band, not sharply bordered,
broadly lanceolate, 8–11 × 2–3 cm, forming a bell. Filaments white,
declinate; anthers dark, c. 10 mm; style white, tinged pink distally.
Fruits green, fading to dull yellow, with a thin pericarp closely
enveloping the 20–60 seeds, giving an irregular undulate surface,
often by the remains of the perianth tube. Seeds greenish, covered
with a silvery grey water repellent membrane making them very
smooth, variable in shape and size, but often flattened.
The species is found in grassland and open Acacia
bushland, often on heavily grazed and degraded land, on
heavy blackish to reddish soils, from 1000 to 2600 m. It
is recorded from the Wellega, Arsi, Gamo­Gofa, Sidamo
and Harerge floristic regions, and also from Eritrea. This
is one of the most widespread Crinum species in Africa,
distributed from South Africa to Ethiopia. The flowering
period in Ethiopia is from April to June.