Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

Key to plants with male flowers
DIOSCOREA 307
1. Stems twining to the left (sinistrorse i.e. clock-wise); leaves simple or
compound 2
- Stems twining to the right (dextrorse i.e. anti-clockwise); leaves simple 6
2. Leaves compound 3
- Leaves simple, entire 5
3. Plants unarmed; leaflets (1–) 3–5(–7); inflorescence in catkins;
bracts embracing the flower; stamens 3, staminodes 3 1. D. quartiniana
- Plants with stem spines; leaflets 3; inflorescence in much-branched panicles
of dense spikelets formed by cymules of 2–6 flowers; bracts embracing the
cymules; stamens 6, at least in the first flower of the cymules 4
4. Leaflets usually 3-nerved; ultimate spikelets of inflorescence 5–10(–15)
mm long, subsessile or on peduncles up to 5 mm long; perianth glabrous
3. D. dumetorum
- Leaflets usually 3–5-nerved; ultimate spikelets of inflorescence
20–25 mm long, on peduncles up to 15 mm long; perianth pubescent
2. D. cochleari-apiculata
5. Plants with stems less than 2 m long; leaves 1.5–7 × 1–6.5 cm;
perianth spreading; stamens 3, staminodes 3 4. D. gillettii
- Plants with stems 3–10 m long; leaves 6–22 × 4.5–17 cm;
perianth not spreading; stamens 6 5. D. bulbifera
6. Plants pubescent with stellate hairs; perianth c. 2.5 mm long
6. D. schimperiana
- Plants glabrous; perianth 1–2 mm long 7
7. Stems 4-winged or 4-angled; flowers on a zigzag axis 7. D. alata
- Stems rounded, not winged or angled, sometimes slightly furrowed;
axis of inflorescence straight 8
8. Plants usually cultivated with superficial tubers (numerous cultivars
and clones) and also in the wild; spikes 1–2(–3) in the axils of leaves; petioles
not widened at the base; stems prickly in the wild 8. D. cayenensis
- Plants mostly wild, without superficial tubers; spikes 2–6(–8) in the axils
of leaves; petioles widened at the base: Stems unarmed 9
9. Leaves cordate to ovate, basal lobes ± rounded, length/width ratio less
than 1.8; perianth 1–15 mm long, white or gray, base relatively thicker,
not scarious; flowers axis stout; roots unarmed 9. D. abyssinica