Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

16 ALOES AND LILIES OF ETHIOPIA
Recently a detailed vegetation map for Ethiopia
has been published (Friis et al., 2010) with a scale of
1:2,000,000. In this map, 12 vegetation types with 15
mapping units are recognized (see the modified version
of the map in Fig. 5). Eritrea shares the same vegetation
types that occur in northern Ethiopia, particularly those
that occur and continue in Gondar, Tigray and Afar
floristic regions.
The twelve vegetation types recognized are: 1. Desert
and semi­desert scrubland; 2. Acacia-Commiphora
wood land and bushland; 3. Wooded grassland of the
Western Gambela region; 4. Combretum-Terminalia
woodland and wooded grassland; 5. Dry evergreen
Afromontane forest and grassland complex; 6. Moist
evergreen Afromontane forest; 7. Transitional rain forest;
8. Ericaceous belt; 9. Afroalpine vegetation; 10. Riverine
vegetation; 11. Freshwater lakes, lakeshores, marshes,
swamps and floodplains vegetation, and 12. Salt-water
lakes, lake shores, salt marshes and pan vegetation.
Eritrea shares seven of the vegetation types (Desert and
semi­desert scrubland; Acacia-Commiphora woodland
and bushland; Combretum-Terminalia woodland and
wooded grassland; Dry evergreen Afromontane forest
and grassland complex; Riverine vegetation; Freshwater
lakes, lake shores, marshes, swamps and floodplains
vegetation, and Salt­water lakes, lake shores, salt marshes
and pan vegetation) with Ethiopia. In the absence of a
similar detailed vegetation map, the authors feel it is
practical to use the detailed vegetation map produced for
Ethiopia (Friis et al., 2010) to be used as the basis for the
description of the vegetation map of Ethiopia and Eritrea
(Fig. 5). In addition, Eritrea has a unique vegetation (the
coastal vegetation) along the red coast.
1. Desert and semi-desert scrubland (DSS)
This vegetation type occurs in areas with scarce vegetation
cover represented by highly drought tolerant plant species.
The plants include small trees and shrubby species of
Acacia (A. ehrenbergiana), Boswellia (B. ogadenensis),
Commiphora (C. longipedicellata, C. samharensis, C.
unilobata as well as succulents, including species of
Euphorbia and Aloe. The grass species are often annual,
such as Dactyloctenium aegyptium and species of