Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

298 ASPARAGACEAE
Fig. 129.
Asparagus
aridicola, from
Sidamo floristic
region.
Habitat and
distribution
Asparagus natalensis
The species grows in Acacia­Commi pho ra­Combretum
woodland, wooded grassland, mixed deciduous woodland
on sandy soil and limestone between 1100 and 1900 m in
Gamo Gofa, Sidamo, and Harerge floristic regions. It also
occurs in tropical Africa south to South Africa, and from
Arabia to India.The main flowering period in Ethiopia is
from April to June and also from October to December.
7. Asparagus natalensis (Baker) Fellingham &
N. L. Mey.
The specific epithet ‘natalensis’ refers to Natal, in South
Africa, from where the type of the species was collected
by Medley Wood. The taxon was first described by Baker
as a variety of Asparagus aethiopicus L. in 1896.
The species is easily recognized from the related
species A. aridicola by the inflorescence being a modified
branchlet, pedicels articulated below the middle and outer
perianth segments ciliate at the margin. In contrast, in
A.aridicola the inflorescence is simple raceme, pedicels
articulated above the middle, below the perianth and
outer perianth segments entire at the margin.
A. aridicola is related to A. natalensis. However,
A. aridicola is distinguished by the simple raceme
inflorescesnce, pedicels articulated above the middle,
below the perianth and outer perianth segments entire at
the margin. In contrast, in A. natalensis, the inflorescence
is a modified branchlet, pedicels articulated below the
middle and outer perianth segments ciliate at the margin.