Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

Key to the species
Drimia exigua
Description
LEDEBOURIA DRIMIA 197
(Two rare species, D. macrocarpa and D. brachystachys are only included in
the key and not further described in the text).
1. Tepals up to 5 mm long; pedicels up to 5 mm long 1. D. exigua
- Tepals 5 mm or more; pedicels usually longer than 5 mm, if shorter then
the tepals at least 8 mm 2
2. Inflorescence dense, pedicels 5–8 mm long 2. D. simensis
- Inflorescence lax to moderately dense, pedicels usually more than 8 mm long 3
3. Tepals ca 18 mm long, pedicels more than 30 mm long, in Ethiopia only
known from Sidamo D. macrocarpa
- Tepals up to 11 mm long; pedicels usually shorter than 30 mm 4
4. Inflorescence lax, up to 15 flowers per 10 cm; flowers pinkish-green
3. D. indica
- Inflorescence dense, more than 25 flowers per 10 cm; flowers whitish with
coloured tepal keels 5
5. Inflorescence more than 20 cm long 4. D. altissima
- Inflorescence up to 10 cm long, in Ethiopia only known from Shewa
D. brachystachys
1. Drimia exigua Stedje
The species epithet ‘exigua’ means weak or feeble,
referring to the small and slender habit of the plants.
Stedje described it in 1984, based on material from
Shewa. It is recognised within the genus on its minute
flowers, tepals 4–5 mm long only.
Plants small and slender. Leaves linear, hyster anthous, red spotted
towards the base, c. 25 × 0.8 cm long. Raceme up to 15 cm long
with about 30 flowers. Bracts up to 3 mm long with spurs up to 5
mm long. Pedicels up to 5 mm long. Tepals 4–5 mm long, united
for about 1 mm, light greenish­brown with a purplish­brown keel.
Filament filiform, white, anthers light yellow. Capsule subglobose,
up to 11 × 10 mm. Seeds black, winged, up to 6 mm long.