Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

258 IRIDACEAE
Description
Habitat and
distribution
Gladiolus murielae
Description
The species is the most distinctive of the indigenous
species by its short inflorescences much shorter than the
long droo ping leaves, by the relatively small pale mauve
perianth, and by the short dark­violet stamens borne at
the mouth of the perianth tube.
Plant (8–)12–28 cm high. Corm 8–10 mm in diameter, with tunics of
fine-netted fibres. Leaves 2–4, lowermost longest, 1.5–2.5 times as
long as stem, blades linear, (2–)3–4 mm wide, uppermost smallest
and with oblong blades or largely to entirely sheathing. Stem erect
below, flexed outward above sheath of uppermost leaf, un branched.
Spike (1–)2–3-flowered; bracts green, 15–30(–35) mm long,
usually attenuate, inner about two­third as long as outer. Flowers
bluish­purple (mauve), tepals evidently unmarked; perianth tube
narrowly funnel­shaped, c. 18 mm long; tepals lanceolate, unequal,
dorsal and upper laterals c. 18 mm long, 3 lower c. 20 mm long.
Filaments short, c. 6 mm long, included in tube; anthers c. 5 mm
long, dark­violet, apices drawn into short acute appendages. Ovary
oblong, c. 4 mm long; style arching over anthers, dividing at or 1–2
mm beyond anther apices, branches c. 2.5 mm long. Capsules and
seeds unknown.
The species grows on steep rocky slopes and cliffs,
between 2100 and 2750 m, in areas originally forested,
but today largely cleared. It is only known from Gara
Muleta in Harerge floristic region. The main flowering
period is from August to October.
15. Gladiolus murielae Kelway
The specific epithet ‘murielae’ is named in honour of
Muriel Erskine, the wife of the collector.
The species was described by Kelway in 1932 from a
plant collected from Ethiopia without precise locality by
Erskine.The species is also known (and cultivated) under
the name Acid an thera bicolor.
Gladiolus murielae, G. candidus, and G. gunnisii are
the only three species in Ethiopia with a perianth tube
twice as long as the tepals. G. murielae is distinguished
from the others by the white flo wers with prominent dark
purple streaks and tepals 35–45 mm long.
Plant 30–65 cm high. Corm 15–22 mm in diameter. Foliage leaves
4–8, lower 3–5 basal, narrowly lanceolate, reaching at least to base
of spike, sometimes slightly exceeding it, 5–12 mm at widest. Stem
unbranched, 3–4 mm in diameter at base of spike. Spike often
inclined, 3–5-flowered. Flowers white, with a prominent dark purple
median streak, sweetly scented, particularly strongly in evenings;