Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

232 IRIDACEAE
Fig. 105.
Lapeirousia
abyssinica, from
Welo floristic
region.
Habitat and
distribution
Lapeirousia
schimperi
level, lowermost longest and about as long as, to slightly exceeding,
the inflorescence, lanceolate, 3–5 mm wide. Stem compressed,
2–3-angled, sometimes narrowly winged. Inflorescence a spike or
few-branched pseudopanicle, main axis 5–7-flowered, secondary
axes with fewer flowers. Flower bilaterally symmetric, violet, lower
three tepals each with a white median line edged with a darker
band of purple in the lower mid­line; perianth tube more or less
straight, narrowly funnel­shaped, 7–9 mm long. Tepals unequal,
lanceolate, lower three horizontal to descending, held close together
and forming a lip, c. 9 × up to 2 mm, upper three larger, dorsal
more or less erect, upper laterals reflexed, c. 9 × up to 3 mm. Style
dividing between middle and apex of anthers, branches c. 2 mm
long. Capsules globose­tri gonous, 3–4 mm long, showing outline
of seeds.
The species grows in rocky places, in shallow soils,
often on lime­stone, between 1800 and 2600 m in Tigray,
Welo, Gojam, and Shewa floristic regions in Ethiopia
and in Eritrea. It is not known elsewhere, except possibly
in the Sudan. The main flowering period is from July to
August.
2. Lapeirousia schimperi (Asch. & Klatt) Milne-
Redhead
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
designated. The species was described by Asch erson and
Klatt in 1866 as Tritonia schim peri from a plant collected
in Tekeze in Ti gray floristic region. The name was later
transferred to the genus Aristea by Milne­Redhead in
1934.
The species is clearly distinguished from the previous
species by the white flowers with a very long perianth
tube, 70–160 mm long.