Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

228 IRIDACEAE
Key to the species
and western Cameroon. The main flowering period in
Ethiopia is from August to October; but sometimes also
from May to June.
2. MORAEA Miller
The genus is easily recognized from the other indigenous
genera by the Iris­like petaloid style branches.
The genus includes perennial herbs with apically
rooting tunicate corms. The leaves are several or few, the
lower cataphylls (reduced leaves) 2–3, entirely sheathing
and membranous. The foliage leaves are usually bifacial
and channelled, sometimes terete, inserted on the lower
part of the stem. The cauline leaves are shorter or entirely
sheathing and bract­like. The stem is simple or branched.
The flowers are single or a few together in a rhipidium.
The flowers are Iris-like, radially symmetric, usually
pedicellate, usually blue or yellow with contrasting
nectar guides on the outer tepals. The tepals are free
(rarely united), the outer larger, narrowed downwards
to a distinct claw; the inner are erect or spreading. The
filaments are partly to completely united around the style
and the anthers adpressed to the style branches. The style
is filiform below, dividing into 3 flat, usually petaloid
branches, these diverging and usually forked apically.
The capsules are globose to cylindrical.
The genus contains more than 120 species mainly
in sub­Saharan Africa, with about 20 species in tropical
Africa. Only two species are known to occur in Ethiopia.
Several species, particularly in their early stages, are
known to be toxic to livestock.
1. Leaves terete (often dry and dead at flowering time); outer tepals 16–24 mm
long; seed angular in capsules 8–11 mm long 1. M. stricta
- Leaves bifacial and channelled (often emerging at flowering time); outer tepals
40–65 mm long; seeds flattened and discoid in capsules 30–45 mm long
2. M. schimperi