Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

Gladiolus boranensis
Description
Habitat and
distribution
Gladiolus calcicola
4. Gladiolus boranensis Goldblatt
ZYGOTRITONIA GLADIOLUS 247
The specific epithet ‘boranensis’ refers to the region
where the original collection was made, Borana. The
species was described by Goldblatt in 1996 from a plant
collected from Mega, in Sidamo floristic region by
Mooney.
The species is distinguished from the related species,
G. mensensis and G. calci cola by its larger flowers (36–
55 mm long) in contrast to the smaller (less than 35 mm
long) in the other two.
Plant 38–55 cm high. Corm 18–20 mm in diameter. Foliage leaves
6–7, lower 3–4 basal and longest, usually exceeding spike by
5–15 cm, blades linear, 2–4(–6) mm wide, midrib and margins
moderately thickened, upper (1–2)2–3 leaves short and largely to
entirely sheathing, usually without blades. Stem erect, unbranched,
2–3 mm in diameter at base of spike. Spike 5–10-flowered, straight
and erect. Flowers pale to deep pink, pale in the throat and toward
bases of lower tepals; perianth tube c. 15 mm long, obliquely funnelshaped;
tepals apparently nearly equal or dorsal slightly larger, 24–
32 × 15 mm, lower 3 tepals 24–30 × c. 13 mm. Filaments 12–15
mm long, exserted c. 5 mm from tube. Style arching over stamens,
dividing near anther apices, branches c. 4 mm long. Capsules and
seeds unknown.
It grows in Juniperus forest and Commiphora scrub,
sometimes in rocky sites; be tween 1800 and 2400 m near
Mega in Sidamo floristic region. It also occurs in Kenya.
The main flowering period in Ethiopia is from September
to October.
5. Gladiolus calcicola Goldblatt
The specific epithet ‘calcicola’ refers to the habitat on
which the species grows on calcareous slopes, literally
meaning, calcium (calci) dwelling (­cola). The species
was described by Goldblatt in 1996 from a plant collected
in an area south of Harar, in Harerge floristic region,
Ethiopia by de Wilde.
The species is distinguished from the similar
species, G. mensensis, known only from Eritrea, by its
comparatively shorter perianth tube (c. 12 mm long) in
contrast to the longer (c. 15 mm long) in G. men sensis.