A New Species of Aloe from Southwest Ethiopia

Abstract

The aloes of Ethiopia, Somalia and Tropical East Africa are covered by recent floristic accounts (Carter 1994; Lavranos 1995; Sebsebe & Gilbert 1997). In 1996, whilst the Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea was still in press, the first author, together with Ensermu Kelbessa, encountered sterile plants of a small aloe that could not be placed. These were growing in deciduous woodland dominated by Combretum and Terminalia, under a thicket of Euclea schimperi (A. DC.) Dandy and Acacia hockii De Wild. Living material taken back to Addis Abeba has survived but has not yet flowered. Recently (1998) I. Friis (Copenhagen) and S. Bidgood (Kew) collected flowering material of what is clearly the same taxon, but a little further to the south. This showed that the plants belonged to a new species which is described here as Aloe friisii.