Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

ALOE
Fig. 38. Aloe debrana, from top of Blue Nile Gorge, Shewa floristic region.
Description
Habitat and
distribution
Notes
79
A. debrana belongs to a group of aloes (numbers 21–22
and 26–27) which often ex hibit secondary branching (up
to 50 racemes or more) and which usually are stemless,
but some old plants develop thick, prostrate stems. A.
debrana is distingui shed from the rest of the group by
the small bracts 3–6.5(–8.5) mm long.
Succulent herb, suckering from base to form small groups, mostly
stemless but some old plants develop thick, prostrate stems. Leaves
in a very dense rosette, spreading­recurved, 25–60 × 7.5–15 cm,
dull green, old leaves brown when drying. Marginal teeth 7–10
(–14) per 10 cm, 2–4 mm long, with red tips. Inflorescence ca. 100
cm long, compoundly branched; racemes 8–50. Racemes capitate
to cylindrical, 5–15 cm long, lax or dense (4–9 flowers per cm).
Bracts ovate­triangular, 3–6.5(–8.5) × 1.5–3 mm, scarious. Pedicels
10–15(–17 in fruit) mm long. Perianth cylindrical, 17–30 × 4–6 mm
when pressed; outer lobes free for 5–10 mm.
The species commonly grows in areas of grassland on thin
soil overlying basalt, usually on gentle slopes between
2000 and 2700 m in Shewa, Gojam and Welo floristic
re gions. It is so far not known anywhere else. The main
flowering period is in the dry season, from December to
February.
There are two forms of the species. The first form has
relatively small perianths (18–22 mm long) and bracts
(3–5 mm long), while the second has larger perianths