Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

266 HYPOXIDACEAE
Fig. 116. Hypoxis abyssinica. Above: Population
sample from Shewa floristic region. All individuals
fall within the three size classes shown, with no
intermediates, indicating apomictic reproduction
and no gene flow between classes. Right: plant
from Wellega floristic region.
Description
Habitat and
distribution
Hypoxis boranensis
characters, but also by its slightly larger flowers and
wider leaves.
Fairly small plants with corms subglobose to cylindrical 1–6 × 1–4
cm. Leaves, with strong ribs, almost recurving to almost prostrate,
5–20 × 0.5–1.0 cm; indumentum whitish or yellowish, dense on
margin and midrib, but also scattered on the lamina. Peduncles
2.5–10 cm. Inflorescence racemose with pedicels of uneven length.
Flowers (1–) 2–4, tepals 8–10 mm long. Fruit 5–7 mm long, seeds
black and glossy, almost without papillae, c. 1mm in diameter.
The species belongs in disturbed woodland and
grassland, evergreen bushland, Eucalyptus plantations
and mountain forest to the ericaceous belt up to 3100 m.
It is endemic and widespread in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The
main flowering period is from March to June and from
August to November.
4. Hypoxis boranensis Cufod.
The species epithet refers to the Borana area in southern
Ethiopia, from where this species was described by
Cufodontis in 1939. It resembles H. abyssinica, but is