Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

Habitat and
distribution
Aloe harlana
Fig. 35. Aloe
harlana, from
near Harla,
Harerge floristic
region.
ALOE
75
mm long, c. 5 mm wide when pressed, pink; outer lobes free for ca.
half length. Capsule 17 mm long. Seed 4 mm long, dark brown with
2 broad white scarious wings to ca. 4 mm wide overall.
The species grows in shelter of bushes in Acacia-
Commiphora bushland between 1350 and 1700 m in
Sidamo floristic region in Ethiopia and also in Northern
Kenya. The main flowering period in Ethiopia is from
July to September.
19. Aloe harlana Reynolds
The specific epithet ‘harlana’, refers to the locality
‘Harla’ SE of Dire Dawa in Harerge floristic region, the
locality of the type specimen. The species was described
in 1957.
Aloe harlana and the next species A. monticola
constitute a group of aloes recognised by a brownish
cartila­genous tissue along the leaf margins, usually
forming a continuous edge between the spines, and by a
bright yellow to red perianth. A. harlana is distingished
from A. monticola by its smaller bracts (9.5–15 mm long)
in comparison to the larger bracts (20–22 mm long) in
the latter.