Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

Habitat and
distribution
Drimia indica
Description
Habitat and
distribution
Drimia altissima
Description
LEDEBOURIA DRIMIA 199
The plants grow in disturbed mountain grassland from
about 2900 to 3300 m, being a narrow endemic, only
known from Gonder and Shewa floristic regions. The
flowering period is March to April.
3. Drimia indica (Roxburgh) Jessop
The species epithet refers to India, from where the
species was described by Rox burgh as early as in 1824,
in the genus Scilla. It was thereafter placed in Urginea
for more than hundred years, until Jessop referred the
species to Drimia in 1977. It is recognised by its very lax
inflorescence and the pinkish-greenish flowers.
Plants up to 50 cm. Leaves appearing after the flowering, 30 ×
0.4–1.8 cm. Inflorescence a lax raceme with 5-25 flowers. Bracts
up to 2 mm long with spurs of the same length. Pedicels up to 4.5
mm long, patent or ascending. Tepals united from the base up to 1.5
mm, pinkish to greenish, 10–11 mm long. Filaments united with the
tepals at the base, free part 5–6 mm long. Capsule 16–18 mm long,
and seeds c. 9 mm long.
The species has been collected in bush land or open land
on thin sandy soils over rocks, from 1350 to 2280 m,
only been recorded from the Shewa and Sidamo floristic
regions, otherwise it is widely distributed in Tropical and
South Africa and it reaches India in the east. In Ethiopia
flowering specimens have been collected in June and in
November, apparently just before the rains start.
4. Drimia altissima (L.f.) Ker-Gawler
The species epithet refers to the size of the plant (alt =
tall, ‘altissima’ = very tall). The inflorescence may in fact
reach 180 cm. It was described by the son of Lin naeus
in the genus Ornithogalum already in 1781, based on
material from South Africa (Cape), and was transferred
to the genus Drimia by Ker­Gawler in 1808. It differs
from the other species in the genus by its height and
robustness.
Plants usually tall and robust, up to 180 cm. Large bulbs, about 10
cm across, often green and visible above-ground. The flowering
stalk appears before the leaves (hysteranthous). Leaves lanceolate,
up to 40 × 4 cm. Inflorescence a ± dense raceme, up to 60 cm long