Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

248 IRIDACEAE
Description
Habitat and
distribution
Description
Plant 30–70 cm high. Corm 10–16 mm in diameter. Foliage leaves
5–6, lower longest and reaching base of spike, eventually (after
flowering) about as long as spikes, linear, (2–)3–5 mm wide. Stem
erect, rarely with 1 short branch, 2–3 mm in diameter at base of
spike. Spike 2–4(–7)-flowered. Flowers pale salmon pink, tepasl
darker along midline; perianth tube c. 12 mm long, curving outward
and widening above; tepals subequal, 16–18 mm long (often shorter
when dry), narrowly lanceolate, straight and directed forward.
Filaments 11–12 mm long, exserted c. 3 mm from tube. Style
arching over stamens, dividing opposite middle of anthers, branches
c. 3 mm long, not reaching anther apices. Capsules ellipsoid, 17–22
mm long.
It grows on stony limestone soils at c. 2000 m in Harerge
floristic region and is not known from anywhere else. The
main flowering period is from September to November.
6. Gladiolus dalenii van Geel
The specific epithet ‘dalenii’ refers to the Dutch Botanist,
Cornelius Dalen, who was associated with the Rotterdam
Botanic Garden and responsible for the introduction of
the species from Natal, South Africa in cultivation.
The species is easily recognised by the large showy
yellow, orange to deep red flowers with the upper three
tepals 35–50 mm long, much exceeding the lower
tepals.
Two subspecies are recognised. G. da le nii subsp.
dalenii and subsp. andong en sis. The latter can be
confused with G. su danicus which also has red flowers.
How ever, the subspecies has longer perianth tube (25–)
35–45 in contrast to the 16–20 mm long perianth tube
in G. suda ni cus. G. dalenii subsp. dalenii has large
yellowish flowers.
Plant 50–120(–150) cm high. Corm (15–)20–30 mm in diameter.
Foliage leaves either contemporary with flowering stem (subsp.
dalenii) and 4–6(–7), or borne later on separate shoots (subsp.
an dong ensis) and 2–4 on the flowering stem, then foliage leaves
produced on separate shoots after flowering, blades narrowly
lanceolate to more or less linear, (5–)10–20(–30) mm wide, about
half as long as spike. Spike (2–)3–7(–14)-flowered. Flowers either
red to orange with a yellow mark on each of 3 lower tepals, or
yellow to greenish and often with red to brown streaks on upper
tepals; perianth tube (25–)35–45 mm long, nearly cylindrical and
curving outward in upper half; tepals unequal, 3 upper broadly
elliptic­obovate, dorsal largest, 35–50 × 22–30 mm, upper laterals
about as long, 30–45 × 20–30 mm wide, lower 3 tepals curving