Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

Description
Habitat and
distribution
Aristea angolensis
Description
Habitat and
distribution
ARISTEA 227
The species differs from the next species mainly by
the flattened and winged, almost leafless flowering stem,
and by usually having only 1–2 flowers.
Plant 10–50 cm high. Leaves several, linear to narrowly lanceolate,
2–5(–8) mm wide, usually about half as long as stem. Stem
compressed and broadly winged, 2–4 mm wide, unbranched or
with a short subapical and often axillary branch. Flower in 1–2(–3),
terminal or subterminal clusters, nearly sessile (shortly stalked),
4-flowered. Flowers blue, more or less sessile. Tepals obovate,
10–12 × 6–7 mm. Style c. 5 mm long, apex trifid. Capsules ovoidoblong,
7–9 mm long, more or less sessile or on short pedicels up
to 4 mm long.
The species grows in short grassland and in edges of
forests in highlands, especially on thin, rocky soils,
between 1500 and 2800 m in Tigray, Welo, Wellega,
Shewa, Arsi, Sidamo, Kefa and Gamo Gofa floristic
regions. It also occurs in Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria,
Cameroon, Zaire and south to the eastern Cape, S Africa.
The main flowering period in Ethiopia is from July to
September.
2. Aristea angolensis Bak.
The specific epithet ‘angolensis’ refers to the country of
origin where the orginal collection was made, Angola.
The species was described by Baker in 1898 from a plant
collected by Welwitsch.
The species differs from the previous species mainly
by the round flowering stem, bearing two or more leaves,
and by usually having three or more flowers.
Plant 25–100 cm high. Leaves several, linear to narrowly lanceolate,
2.5–7(–9) mm wide, mostly basal and about half as long as stem.
Stem 2–6 branched (rarely simple), compressed, 2­angled but not
winged. Flower clusters 4–14, terminal and axillary, 4–6-flowered;
spathes ovate, 9–11 mm long. Flower blue, more or less sessile.
Tepals obovate, c. 12 × 4–5 mm. Style 6–7 mm long, exceeding
anthers, apex 3­lobed. Capsules ovoid­obovoid, 5–7 mm long, subsessile
or on pedicels up to 4 mm long.
The species grows in well­watered to mar shy grassland,
sometimes in seepage areas and seasonal marshes
between 1800 and 2600 m in Shewa, Arsi and Sidamo
floristic regions. It also occurs in Zambia, Zimbabwe,
Malawi, South Africa, Angola, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria