Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

Description
Habitat and
distribution
Aloe ankoberensis
Fig. 40. Aloe
ankoberensis,
from Debre Sina,
Shewa floristic
region.
ALOE
81
Stemless or with short decumbent stem. Leaves very numerous,
up to 50–60 × 10–15 cm, slighly recurved, blue or grey­green
sometimes suffused with red, not spotted. Marginal teeth 4–12 per
10 cm, 1.5–3(–4) mm long, reddish. Inflorescence few-branched,
1–5 racemes. Racemes cylindrical, 11–35 cm long, dense. Bracts
ovate­lanceolate, 11–15(–28) × 6–8 mm. Pedicels 8–15(–17 in fruit)
mm long. Perianth cylindrical, (30–)35–40 mm long, 6–9 mm wide
when pressed, pale to orange­red; outer lobes ± free to base.
The species grows on very steep slopes and cliff faces,
sometimes where these are wet seasonally; between
2600 and 3150 m in Tigray, Gonder and Gojam floristic
regions in Ethiopia and in Eritrea. It is so far not known
anywhere else. The main flowering period is from August
to October.
24. Aloe ankoberensis Gilbert & Sebsebe
The specific epithet ‘ankoberensis’, refers to the place,
Ankober in Shewa region where the type collection was
made by Mrs Jonquil Ash. The species was described in
1997.
A. ankoberensis belongs to a group of aloes (numbers
23–25) which usually have pendent or prostrate stems,
a U­shaped peduncle and a long perianth (30–40 mm).
They grow on cliffs in high altitude mountainous areas.
A. ankoberensis is distinguished from A. steudneri by
the outer lobes of the perianth being free only in the
upper half (instead of almost to the base). In addition, A.