Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

278 DRACAENACEAE
Habitat and
distribution
Dracaena fragrans
Description
Habitat and
distribution
are up to 35 cm long; pedicels in fascicles (1–)2–7 together, up to 5
mm long, articulate at the top, supported by narrow triangular bracts
as long as the pedicel and up to 1 mm wide. Perianth white, fused at
the base for 2 mm, lobes about 8 mm long, translucent with a single
rib. Ovary bottle­shaped, widest at the top; stigma very shal lowly
3­lobed. Fruit orange­scarlet, globose to 3­lobed, 8–9 × 9–14 mm.
Seeds globular, brown, about 6 mm in diameter.
The species grows in rocky outcrops and on escarpments,
in Acacia-Combretum, Lannea and Combretum bushland
on reddish­brown loamy soil between 1300 and 1350 m
in Sidamo, Bale, and Harerge floristic regions. It also
occurs in Uganda, Kenya, and possibly in Somalia and
the Sudan. The main flowering period in Ethiopia is from
April to July.
3. Dracaena fragrans (L.) Ker Gawl.
The specific epithet ‘fragrans’ refers to the attractive
aroma produced by the flowers. The species was
described by Lin nae us and transferred to Dracaena by
Ker Gawler in 1808.
It differs from the rest of the species in the genus by
having flowers arranged in multi-flowered heads.
Rather weak shrubs, producing one to several whip­like stems, or
branched trees, 1–15 m or taller, main trunk rarely more than 30
cm in diameter. Leaves bright green above, paler below, colour
uniform or variegated (usually in cultivated plants), strap­shaped
to narrowly oblanceo late, the widest part usually above the middle
(12–)20-125(–150) × (1–)2–10(–12) cm, acute. Inflorescence
simple or branched, erect to hanging, usually with a zig­zag axis,
(15–) 20–100(–160) cm long. Flowers arranged in well separated,
multi-flowered, spherical, stalked or sessile heads; pedicels 2–5 mm
long, articulated at the top. Perianth white with some purple tinges
on the outside, (15–)17–22(–25) mm long, receptacle obconical
l.5–3(–5) mm long; perianth tube (5–)8–10(–11) mm long, lobes
(7–)9–11(–12) × 3 mm with a single rib. Ovary cylindrical to bottleshaped,
2–3(–4) mm long; stigma 3­lobed. Fruits orange, depressed
globose, 11–19 mm in diameter. Seeds white, globose to beanshaped,
4–14 mm in diameter.
The species grows in forests between 1200 and 1750 m in
Illubabor, Kefa and Wellega floristic regions, sometimes
also planted as a hed ge. It is widespread in tropical
Africa from Gambia and Ethiopia south to Angola and
Mozambique. The main flowering period in Ethiopia is
from December to January.