Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

Moraea stricta
Description
Habitat and
distribution
Moraea schimperi
1. Moraea stricta Bak.
ARISTEA MORAEA 229
The specific epithet ‘stricta’ refers to the upright erect
stem. The species was described by Baker in 1904 from
a plant collected in Africa It was also known by the name
M. tellinii, described by Chiovenda in 1911 from a plant
collected in Gonder floristic region.
The species is distinguished from the next species
by the more or less sessile lateral branches, cylindrical
leaves and small blue-violet flowers with outer tepals
19–24 mm long.
Perennial plants, 15–25 cm high. Corm 1–3 cm in diameter. Leaf
solitary, usually absent during the flowering period, or the old one
still attached to base of stem), the new emerging leaf will grow to
about 60 cm long, ± terete and 1.5 mm thick. Stem erect, usually
bearing 3–6 branches, that are held close to the main stem. Spathes
dry and papery, rarely green near base, inner (2.5–)3–4 cm long.
Flowers pale lilac to blue­violet with yel low­orange spotted nectar
guides on outer te pals; outer tepal 19–24 mm long, claw ascending,
narrow; inner tepals linear­lanceolate, erect or ascending, 15–18
× 2–4 mm. Style branches 7–8 mm long, diverging about 1.5 mm
above base. Capsules obovoid, (8–)9–11 mm long.
The species grows in open stony grassland, between
1500 and 1950 m in Arsi, Sidamo and Harerge floristic
regions. It is also widespread in Africa, from Ethiopia to
the eastern Cape, South Africa. The flowering period in
Ethiopia is from October to November, also from January
to March.
2. Moraea schimperi (Hochst.) Pic. Serm.
The specific epithet ‘schimperi’ was given in honour of
the famous German collector, George Wilhem Schimper,
from whose collection the type of the species was desig
nated. The species was described by Hoch stetter in
1844 as Hymenostigma schim peri from a plant collected
from Mt. Bachit in Gonder floristic region. The name was
later transferred to the genus Moraea by Pichi­Sermolli
in 1950.
The species is clearly distinguished from M. stricta
by the unbranched stem, channelled bifacial leaves and
blue-purple flowers with outer tepals 40–65 mm long.