Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

Habitat and
distribution
Sansevieria
phillipsiae
Description
Habitat and
distribution
DRACAENA SANSEVIERIA 285
mm long; perianth purple to white, tube 5–6 mm long. Fruits green,
spherical, turning orange at maturity.
The species grows on rocky ground, under shade or in
the open in Acacia-Com bre tum woodland between 400
and 1100 m in Shewa, Kefa, Gamo Gofa, Sidamo and
Harerge floristic regions in Ethiopia, and in Eritrea. It
also occurs in Arabia, Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan,
and Tanzania. The main flowering period in Ethiopia is
from April to June.
2. Sansevieria phillipsiae N.E.Br.
The specific epithet ‘phillipsiae’ was gi ven in honour
of Lort­Phillips who collected the type specimen from
Somalia. The species was described by N.E. Brown in
1913.
It differs from the related species, S. eh ren bergii, by
the leaves being cylindrical and channeled only for about
2 cm from ba se. In contrast, S. ehrenbergii has leaves
laterally compressed and channeled through out their
length.
Dwarf plants with short, c. 10 cm, erect stems branching at or
above ground level, and forming irregular clumps. Branches c. 20
× 1.5 cm, spreading on the ground and ultimately rooting, ending
in a tuft of leaves; margin with a membranaceous white edge to
a narrow brown border, withering to whitish­brown. Leaves 5–10
together, slightly recurved, rigid, smooth, up to 45 cm long, channeled
for about 2 cm at the sheathing base, otherwise cylindrical
and gradually tapering to an acuminate apex with a spine­like tip;
surface covered with minute, irregular transverse ridges, young
leaves with paler bands, older uniformly dark green. Inflorescence
a spike­like raceme about 46 cm long and minutely white mottled.
basal part bearing 2–3 brown membranaceous, lanceolate bracts,
1–3 cm long, acuminate at the apex. Flowers whi te, 2–6 in a cluster,
upper clusters with fewer flowers than the lower; pedicel c. 3 mm
long. Pe ri anth up to 40 mm long; tube up to 30 mm long, slender,
cylindrical, not enlarged at the base; lobes linear, up to 20 mm long.
Stamens 15 mm long. Ovary cylindrical, 3 mm long; style exserted,
slightly longer than the stamens.
The species grows in the shade of trees, Acacia,
Commiphora, and Combretum, on sloping areas and
along road sides between 1250 and 1450 m in Kefa,
Gamo Gofa, and Harerge floristic regions. It also occurs
in Somalia. The main flowering period in Ethiopia is in
August.