Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

88 ALOACEAE
Description
Habitat and
distribution
Aloe elegans
Description
the pale­pink perianth and the large bracts (11–17 mm
long). This makes the species very easy to recognise.
Rosettes solitary or forming small clumps, stemless. Leaves ca. 24,
erect to slightly recurved, 35–80 × 6.5–10 cm, canaliculate, grey
green, sometimes very finely spotted (conspicuously spotted in
seed lings). Marginal teeth 8–14 per 10 cm, 3–4.5 mm long, reddishbrown.
Inflorescences glaucous throughout, branched with up to
12 racemes. Racemes erect, 5–8 cm long, cylindrical, very dense,
with overlapping bracts. Bracts oblanceolate, 11–17 × 4–6.5 mm, ±
acute, scarious. Pedicels 7–12(–17) mm long. Perianth cylindrical
to clava te, 19–23(–27) mm long, 4.5–6 mm wide when pressed,
pale pink with grey or yellow tip; outer lobes free for c.. 10 mm,
with conspicuous warty/papillose midrib. Capsule 16 mm long,
papillose. Seeds ± 3­sided, 4.5 mm long, dark­brown with long pale
brown wings.
The species grows in open Acacia bush land, often on
dark soils between 1200 and 1600 m in Gamo Gofa and
Sidamo floristic regions. It is so far not known anywhere
else. The main flowering period is from September to
December.
30. Aloe elegans Todaro
The specific epithet ‘elegans’ refers to the overall elegant
(elegans) nature of the plant. This refers particularly
to the attractive and conspicuous bright colours of the
flowers. It is possible to see the different shades of colours
(yellow, orange and scarlet) of the different populations
in the same general area. Todaro described and illustrated
the species in 1882, from a plant grown from seeds sent
by Schimper from Tigray region, probably in 1870.
A. elegans is a unique species and is easily recognised
by the grey to blue­green leaves that usually are incurved,
the dense subcapitate to cylindrical racemes, and the
bright yellow, orange or scarlet perianth.
This species is very variable with respect to the form
of the racemes and the colour of the flowers. There may
be a tendency that dense inflorescences often bear yellow
flowers, while plants with more elongated inflorescences
have red flowers. But the forms occur together and there
is no justification for recognition of infra specific taxa.
Succulent herb, rarely developing decumbent stem to 30 cm long,
solitary or forming small groups. Leaves dense, 16–20 (–30) per
rosette, up to 60 × 15–18 cm, usually incurved, grey to bluish­