Four new species of Aloe (Aloaceae) from Ethiopia, with notes on the ethics of describing new taxa from foreign countries

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1 KEW BULLETIN VOL. 66: (2011) Four new species of Aloe (Aloaceae) from Ethiopia, with notes on the ethics of describing new taxa from foreign countries Sebsebe Demissew 1, Ib Friis 2, Tesfaye Awas 3, Paul Wilkin 4, Odile Weber 4, Steve Bachman 4 & Inger Nordal 5 Summary. Subsequent to the treatment of the Aloaceae, with 38 species of Aloe, intheflora of Ethiopia (Sebsebe Demissew & Gilbert 1997), four more species, Aloe bertemariae Sebsebe & Dioli (2000), A. friisii Sebsebe & M. G. Gilbert (2000), A. clarkei L. E. Newton (2002) anda. elkerriana Dioli & T. A. McCoy (2007) havebeendescribed from that country. Here four additional new species are described: Aloe benishangulana Sebsebe & Tesfaye from near Assosa, Benishangul-Gumuz in Welega floristic region; A. ghibensis Sebsebe & Friis from the Ghibe Gorge, Kefa floristic region; A. weloensis Sebsebe from near Dessie in Welo floristic region and A. welmelensis Sebsebe & Nordal along the Welmel River in Bale floristic region. The phytogeographical positions of the new species are assessed by comparison with the previously known species. Complications with the deposition of type material of A. clarkei and A. elkerriana is used to raise various issues regarding the ethics of describing new taxa from foreign countries. Key Words. Aloaceae, Aloe, Asphodelaceae, CITES, Flora of Ethiopia, new species, phytogeography, Xanthorrhoeaeeae. Introduction When the account of Aloaceae for the Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea was prepared, 38 species were recognised (Sebsebe Demissew & Gilbert 1997). Subsequently a review paper on the aloes of Ethiopia and Eritrea appeared (Sebsebe Demissew et al. 2001), followed by a monograph on aloes and other lilies (Sebsebe Demissew et al. 2003). During the years , two more species, Aloe bertemariae Sebsebe & Dioli (2000) and Aloe friisii Sebsebe & Gilbert (2000) were described and duly incorporated in Sebsebe et al. (2003). Before the monograph on Ethiopian aloes and other lilies, Aloe clarkei L. E. Newton (2002) was described from a specimen collected by a member of the Mountain Club of Kenya, Paul Clarke, who climbed Mt Naita. The mountain, at 5 29'N, 35 18'E consists of basement rocks (granite) and reaches a height of just above 2100 m. It marks the northeasternmost possible point of the Ilemi triangle between Kenya, Sudan and Ethiopia. However not only the international status, but also the exact extent of the Ilemi triangle is disputed. The northern slope of Mt Naita is undoubtedly in Ethiopia, even with the most restricted definition of Ethiopian territory in these parts, and the specimen was stated to have been collected on the northern side of the peak, although the expedition climbed from the disputed Kenyan- Sudanese side. The type specimen was stated to have been deposited at the East African Herbarium (EA) of the National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, but no material of A. clarkei is found there according to information obtained from the herbarium. That species was not included in the monograph on Ethiopian aloes and other lilies because the publication did not come to the attention of Sebsebe et al. (2003). More recently, Aloe elkerriana Dioli & T. A. McCoy (2007) has been described, based on a specimen collected by Maurizio Dioli from a rocky outcrop near El Kere in the Bale floristic region, a site that is also the type locality of Aloe jacksonii Reynolds. The type Accepted for publication March National Herbarium, Science Faculty, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 3434, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. sebsebed@bio.aau.edu.et; s_demissew@yahoo.com 2 Botanical Garden and Museum, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Gothersgade 130, DK-1123 Copenhagen K, Denmark. ibf@snm.ku.dk 3 Institute of Biodiversity Conservation, P.O. Box 30726, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. tesfayeawas@yahoo.com 4 Herbarium, Library, Art and Archives, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB, UK. p.wilkin@kew.org, o.weber@kew.org and s.bachman@kew.org 5 Department of Biology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Blindern, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway. inger.nordal@bio.uio.no

2 112 KEW BULLETIN VOL. 66(1) specimen of A. elkerriana is stated in the protologue to have been deposited at the Herbarium (O) of the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Norway but no material of A. elkerriana is found there according to information obtained from the herbarium. Both A. clarkei and A. elkerriana were described in Haseltonia, the yearbook of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America. The procedures in relation to the publication of these two new species are subject to further discussion below. In the present paper, four more new species, including two from the western part of Ethiopia are described: Aloe benishangulana Sebsebe & Tesfaye, from near Assosa in Welega floristic region (WG, as referred to in the Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea), in part of the Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State; A. ghibensis Sebsebe & Friis, from the Ghibe Gorge in Kefa floristic region (KF, as referred to in the Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea), in part of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People s Regional State; A. weloensis Sebsebe, from near Dessie in Welo floristic region (WU, as referred to in the Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea) in part of the Amhara Regional State, and A. welmelensis Sebsebe & Nordal, from along the Welmel River in Bale floristic region (BA, as referred to in the Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea), in part of the Oromia Regional State. With this increase from 38 to 46 in the number of Aloe species known so far from the area of the Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea, there has been an increase of over 20% in just 12 years. We would like to note that researchers who obtain or take plant material in a manner contrary to international conventions from another country and describe new species from this material behave unethically. A much publicised example of this type of behaviour was the publication of Phragmipedium kovachii J. T. Atwood, Dalström & Ric. Fernández (June 2002), based on type material that Michael Kovach had taken from Peru to a botanical institution in the United States in violation of the CITES-regulations, after which the validating description of the new name appeared in a preprint of a special issue of the house journal of that institution. Thus the name obtained priority over Phragmipedium peruvianum Christenson (July 2002). Van Rijckevorsel (2006) and Anderson (2007) debated whether such behaviour should result in the formal suppression of the publication of June Higgins & Benzing (2007) opposed the proposal by van Rijckevorsel. They pointed out how the legal battle had unfortunate consequences for the preservation of type material in the institutions stated in the protologues. A preserved specimen made from the live plant brought to the United States by Kovach was sent back to the Peruvian National Herbarium at the University of San Marcos, Peru (USM), where the specimen apparently is now, although USM is not a CITESinstitution. The remainder of the single live plant brought to the United States was handed over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which kept the plant as evidence until it apparently died in custody in A type specimen of the competing name, Phragmipedium peruvianum, stated to be Christenson 2056 (holotype USM) had in fact not been deposited with USM. The result of the whole battle is therefore the unfortunate loss of type material and disagreement between the information in the protologues and the actual places where type material is deposited. The proposal by van Rijckevorsel has not been met with approval, partly since it would affect an unknown number of other cases. In the case of Aloe clarkei and A. elkerriana, type material was obtained without the correct procedures being followed. In the case of A. clarkei it appears that the type collection was made accidentally in Ethiopian territory by crossing the Ethiopian border from internationally disputed territory. In such a case the correct export procedure seems difficult to establish. In the case of A. elkerriana, however, type material seems to have been illegally collected in and exported from Ethiopia. In both cases the whereabouts of the type specimen has apparently been incorrectly indicated in the protologues, where it has been implied that types had been deposited at recognised botanical institutions that, moreover are listed CITES-institutions (O: CITES NO001; EA: CITES KE001). All members of the genus Aloe are, like the Orchidaceae, listed in CITES Appendix II, and specimens of Appendix II-species can only be sent between CITESregistered institutions or in case the export is authorised by a permit issued by a CITES-authority in the country of origin. The Ethiopian National Herbarium (ETH) is a CITES-registered institution in Ethiopia (CITES ET001). The other institutions where material cited in this paper has been deposited by us are also CITES registered institutions (C: CITES DK001; K: CITES GB005). Although, as shown by the above Phragmipedium-case, there is no penalty in the world of botanical nomenclature for infringing the rules of the Washington Convention, we do feel that collectors are under a collective obligation to follow the rules and to deposit duplicates of types and/or any paratype or fragments of it at a national institution in the country of origin of a species and state this is in the protologue; ideally the holotype should reside in the country of origin and isotypes elsewhere. Sending good quality images of the type material to institution(s) in the country from which the species came is an absolute minimum approach. The permanent preservation of readily accessible type material is one of the foundations of botanical nomenclature, and both the loss of the living plant that was part of the type material of Phragmipedium kovachii and the apparent non-existence of the types of Phragmipedium peruvianum and Aloe elkerriana at the institutions where they are stated to have been deposited do not serve that permanence and accessibility. In the case of A. clarkei and A. elkerriana, we have reasons to believe that the living material still

3 NEW SPECIES OF ALOE FROM ETHIOPIA AND ETHICS OF DESCRIBING NEW TAXA 113 exists in collections and neotypes based on plants propagated from originally collected material could be made and duplicates sent to the country of origin. It would also have served the purpose of availability and been in agreement with good scientific ethics had copies of the protologues of the new Aloe species in a publication of narrow distribution like Haseltonia, been sent to Ethiopia. This would have ensured that A. clarkei would have been taken up in the monograph of Ethiopian aloes and other lilies (Sebsebe Demissew et al. 2003). Taxonomy Aloe benishangulana Sebsebe & Tesfaye sp. nov. A. schweinfurthii Baker pellide molli similis sed foliis non maculatis, spinis infirmis atque ad marginem albis (nec bruneis firmis), 1 mm (nec 3 5 mm) longis, bracteis c mm (nec mm), pedicellis mm (nec c. 13 mm) longis et capsulis mm (nec mm) longis differt. Typus: Ethiopia, WG: Benishangul, near Assosa, 3 km from Amba No. 11, 'N, 'E, 20 Aug. 2000, Herrmann 157 (holotypus ETH! photo K!). Acaulescent, spreading by vegetative offsets, growing in rock crevices or rock shelters ; rosette emerging from rock crevices or from rock bottoms that partly shelter the lower parts of the plant; root system massive. Leaves laxly rosulate, cm; leaf surface dull green, smooth; marginal teeth mm, white, 3 8mm apart or per 10 cm length; exudate drying yellow. Inflorescence cm long, simple; raceme cylindrical, c. 28 cm long, lax, with 1 flower/cm. Flowers on both sides of the raceme. Bracts ovate, 8 10 c. 4 mm, acuminate at the apex. Pedicel 8 10 mm long. Perianth bright scarlet, becoming paler to almost white towards mouth, mm long, base truncate, c. 8 mm in diam.; outer tepals free for a length of 10 mm. Capsule mm long, each segment mm. Fig. 1. DISTRIBUTION. Known from a restricted area close to Assosa, Welega floristic region, in Benishangul Gumuz Regional State. Map 1. SPECIMENS EXAMINED. ETHIOPIA. WG: Near Assosa, 3 km NE of Amba No. 11, 'N, 'E, 1490 m, st. 3 June 2000, Herrmann 106 (ETH!); fl. 3 June 2000, Herrmann 156 (ETH!); fl. 20 Aug. 2000, Herrmann 157 (holotype ETH! photo K!); bud 3 June 2000, Herrmann 241 (ETH!); fl. 3 June 2000, Herrmann 253 (ETH!); st. 19 km from Assosa, 13 May 2005, Sebsebe D., Herrmann & Tesfaye A (ETH!); 20 km N of Assosa along road to Kurmuk,10 10'N, 34 39'E; 1500 m, fr. 20 Nov, 1998, Friis et al (C!, ETH!, K!); 19 km along the road from Assosa to Homosha, 'N, 'E, 1490 m, fr. 4 Oct. 2005, Tesfaye A. et al. 1428A (ETH). HABITAT. Bamboo (Oxythenanthera abyssinica) thicket with open rocky outcrops or partially covered by slanting rocks giving protection against fire; m. This is the only species that occurs in the main Combretum-Terminalia woodland vegetation type in Ethiopia, where the species experiences natural and anthropogenic fire regimes, although another of the new species in this paper, Aloe ghibensis, occurs in one of the deep river gorges that represent penetration of the Combretum-Terminalia woodland into the Ethiopian Highlands. Aloe benishangulana is very well adapted to the prevailing fire regime, by having a deep, extensive root system and growing in rock crevices and sheltered parts of rocks (when the rocks are not firmly attached to the ground). With such adaptations, fire would be unlikely to destroy all the above-ground parts of the plant. Even if there is occasional large-scale, persistent fire in the area of occurrence, the well-developed root system would allow it to regenerate. CONSERVATION STATUS. Data Deficient (DD). The species may be widespread in Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State where habitats similar to those of the known collecting localities are quite common. PHENOLOGY. Flowering April August. ETYMOLOGY. The species epithet of Aloe benishangulana refers to the Benishangul-Gumuz Region from where the species is known. NOTES. The species resembles Aloe schweinfurthii Baker from Southern Sudan, N Uganda and N Zaire extending to West Africa (Ghana). It differs from A. schweinfurthii by the leaves lacking spots (spotted), weak whitish marginal spines 1 15 mm long (not pungent brownish marginal spines 3 5 mm long), bracts c mm (not mm), pedicel mm long (not c. 13 mm long) and capsule mm long (not mm long). Aloe ghibensis Sebsebe & Friis sp. nov. A. schelpei Reynolds caulibus decumbentibus usque 1 m longis et 5 7 cm diametro similis, sed foliis maturis non maculatis, spinis ad marginem 3 mm (nec 4 5 mm) longis, inflorescentiis racemos 7 8 ferentibus (nec solitarius vel racemos 2 3 ferentibus); floribus subsecundis (nec in omnibus lateris dispositis) atque in axe laxe dispositis 1 2 tantum (nec 6 8) per cm, bracteis 3 4 mm (nec 6 8 mm) longis et pedicellis 5 6 mm (nec mm) longis differt. Typus: Ethiopia, Cultivated in Addis Ababa, 8 9'N, 38 47'E, 2350 m, fl. 8 April 2009; original plant collected from KF, Ghibe Gorge, 160 km from Jima towards Addis Ababa; 'N, 'E; 1605 m; fl. bud 10 Feb. 2009, Sebsebe D., I. Friis & Nigist A (holotypus ETH!; isotypus K!).

4 114 KEW BULLETIN VOL. 66(1) Fig. 1. Aloe benishangulana: A habit (left); B fruiting inflorescence; C whitish marginal leaf spines. Caulescent with scandent stems to 1 m long and 5 7cm wide; rosette leaves rosulate, cm; leaf surface dull green with smooth surface; marginal teeth 3 mm long, white with brown tips, 7 10 mm apart or 6 8 per 10 cm length; exudate drying yellow. Inflorescence cm long, 7 or 8 branched; raceme cylindrical, cm long, lax, with 1 or 2 flowers per cm length. Flowers subsecund on the raceme. Bracts ovate-acuminate at the apex, 3 4 c. 2.5 mm. Pedicel 5 6 mm long (elongating to 10 mm

5 NEW SPECIES OF ALOE FROM ETHIOPIA AND ETHICS OF DESCRIBING NEW TAXA 115 Map 1. Distribution of A. benishangulana ( ); A. ghibensis (*); A. welmelensis ( ); A. weloensis ( ). in fruit). Perianth scarlet, (yellow-flowered according to Ash 1757) mm long, base truncate, c. 6 mm in diam.; outer tepals free for a length of 6 8 mm. Young capsules c. 7 mm. Fig. 2 DISTRIBUTION. Known from the Ghibe Gorge in Kefa floristic region, Oromia Regional State. Map 1. SPECIMENS EXAMINED. ETHIOPIA. KF: Ghibe Gorge, upper slopes, c. 283 km SW of Addis Ababa on Jima Road, 1365 m, fl. & fr. 5 Nov. 1972, Ash 1757 (K!); 190 km from Addis Ababa to Jima, Ghibe Valley on Jima side, 'N, 'E, 1720 m, fl. 3 March 2001, Tesfaye A. 848 (ETH!); st. 5 Dec. 2008, Tesfaye A (ETH!); Ghibe Gorge, 160 km from Jima towards Addis Ababa, 'N, 'E, 1605 m, fl. bud 10 Feb. 2009, Sebsebe D., Friis & Nigist A (holotype ETH!; isotype K!). HABITAT. In Combretum-Terminalia woodland on edge of cliffs on volcanic outcrops. Associated plants include Combretum collinum, Acacia polyacantha subsp. campylacantha and Ficus sycomorus; m. CONSERVATION STATUS. Critically Endangered (CR), based on EOO (8.5 km 2 ); Endangered (EN), based on AOO (12 km 2 based on 2 2 grid cell). Suitable habitats are not likely to occur outside the relatively narrow gorge.

6 116 KEW BULLETIN VOL. 66(1) Fig. 2. Aloe ghibensis: A habit and habitat at type locality; B habit in cultivation; C flowering inflorescence.

7 NEW SPECIES OF ALOE FROM ETHIOPIA AND ETHICS OF DESCRIBING NEW TAXA 117 PHENOLOGY. Flowering November; March April. ETYMOLOGY. The species epithet of Aloe ghibensis refers to the Ghibe Gorge from where the type specimen was collected and the only known locality of the species. NOTES. The species resembles Aloe schelpei Reynolds from part of the Blue Nile River system, in a gorge near Debre Libanos, north of Addis Ababa on the way to Gojam in N. Shewa in Oromia Regional State due to its scandent stems. However, it differs from A. schelpei by the inflorescence possessing 7 or 8 racemes (not single, 2 or 3 racemes); flowers secund (not with flowers arranged to all sides), lax with 1 or 2 flowers per cm length (not denser with 6 8 flowers per cm length); bracts 3 4mmlong(not6 8 mm long) and flower pedicel 5 6mmlong(not10 17 mm long). Aloe weloensis Sebsebe sp. nov. similis A. macrocarpa Tod. foliis mollibus atque maculates similis, sed bracteis mm (nec mm), perianthio mm (nec mm) longo et supra ovarium modice tantum constricto atque distaliter ± cylindraceo (nec supra ovarium conspicue constricto nec orem versus dilatato) et capsulis mm (nec mm) longis differt. Typus: Ethiopia, Welo, 1.5 2kmfromDessieon the main road towards Addis, 11 6'N 39 38'E, 2500 m, 6 Sept. 2003, Sebsebe D., I. & V. Friis & Nigist A (holotypus ETH!). Acaulescent, solitary or in clumps of 2 5. Leaves in rosettes up to 35, cm, with greenish white elongate spots, seen both above and below, more conspicuous below; marginal spines, 1 2 mm long, brownish-tipped, per 10 cm length; exudate drying yellow. Inflorescence 1 or 2, cm long, with 4 6 racemes; raceme cylindrical, cm long and 6 8 cm in diam. Bracts white, ovate acuminate, mm. Pedicel mm long. Perianth pinkish red, mm long, base slightly swollen, truncate, 5 6 mm in diam.; outer perianth parts free for a length of mm; stamens and styles exserted 3 5 mm long at anthesis. Fruits mm long. Fig. 3. DISTRIBUTION. Known only from a restricted area outside Dessie towards Addis in Welo floristic region, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia. Map 1. SPECIMENS EXAMINED. ETHIOPIA. Welo, 3 km along the road from Dessie towards Addis Ababa, 2440 m, fl. & fr. 6 Nov. 1998, Tesfaye A. 612 (ETH!); km from Dessie on the main road towards Addis Ababa, 11 6'N, 39 38'E, 2500 m, fl. 6 Sept. 2003, Sebsebe D., I. & V. Friis, Nigist A (holotype ETH!); 11 05'49.8"N, 39 38'10.8"E, 2520 m, fl. 26 Nov. 2005, Sebsebe D (ETH!); Original plant from Sebsebe D. et al from 1.5 km S of Dessie towards Addis Ababa, cultivated in Addis Ababa, Bole Wereda, Kebele 23, House No. 4/ 175, 2350 m, fr. 12 Dec. 2005, Sebsebe D. & Nigist A (ETH!); fl. & fr. 3 Dec. 2007, Sebsebe D. & Nigist A (ETH!). HABITAT. Edges of roads and in disturbed places; m. CONSERVATION STATUS. Data Deficient (DD). The habitat type from which the species was collected, has a considerable range in the Ethiopian Highlands. PHENOLOGY. Flowering September November in the wild; but, if regularly watered, almost throughout the year in cultivation. ETYMOLOGY. The species epithet refers to the Welo floristic region with its central town, Dessie, from where the type specimen was collected and the only known locality of the species. NOTES. Aloe weloensis resembles A. macrocarpa by its thin, soft and spotted leaves. Aloe weloenis differs from the latter by the bracts being ovate, mm (not mm); perianth parts c mm long (21 23 in the dry state, not mm long), the perianth being only slightly constricted above the ovary and ± cylindrical (not conspicuously constricted and then enlarging to the mouth) and capsule c. 20 mm long (not mm long). Aloe welmelensis Sebsebe & Nordal sp. nov. similis A. tewoldei M. G. Gilbert & Sebsebe caulibus decumbentibus usque 3 4 cm diametro similis, sed spinis ad marginem albis (nec roseis), obsoletis usque 1 mm (nec 2 mm) longis, floribus secundis (nec in omnibus lateralibus axe dispositis), perianthiis mm (nec 20 mm) longis et pedicellis 5 7 mm (nec 12 mm) longis differt. Typus: Ethiopia, BA: along the Welmel River, Sodu Kebele, 20 km W off the main Goba Dolo road at 94 km, 'N 'E, 1470 m, fl. & fr. 15 Dec. 2007, Sebsebe D., Tesfaye A. & Nordal 6655 (holotypus ETH!; isotypus K!). Caulescent and forming groups. Stem erect to decumbent, cm long, cm in diam. Roots hairy. Leaves scattered along the stem, 10 18, lax, arranged in 2 5 turns along the stem, greyish green, not spotted, cm, surface smooth; marginal teeth obsolete, to 1 mm long, white, reddish-tipped, 3 5 mm apart or per 10 cm length; exudate drying yellow. Inflorescence 1 or 2, cm long, with 1 or 2, rarely 4 6 racemes; raceme cylindrical, cm long, lax, with 1 or 2 flowers/cm. Stamens exserted 1 4 mm long. Flowers secund. Bracts white, ovate-acuminate, mm. Pedicel 6 7mm long. Perianth bright scarlet, paler to almost white towards mouth, mm, base slightly swollen,

8 118 KEW BULLETIN VOL. 66(1) Fig. 3. Aloe weloensis: A habit in cultivation; B inflorescence with flowering buds; C inflorescence and infructescence.

9 NEW SPECIES OF ALOE FROM ETHIOPIA AND ETHICS OF DESCRIBING NEW TAXA 119 Fig. 4. Aloe welmelensis: A habit and habitat at type locality; B leaf arrangement on the stem; C part of inflorescence.

10 120 KEW BULLETIN VOL. 66(1) truncate, 6 7 mm in diam.; outer perianth parts free for a length of mm. Young fruits mm long. Fig. 4. DISTRIBUTION. Known only from along the Welmel River in Bale floristic region, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. Map 1. SPECIMENS EXAMINED. ETHIOPIA. BA: Welmel R. 29 km S of Dolo Mena (Masslo), at the water fall (called Sof Omar, like the caves) on the R. Welmel, 6 13'N, 39 50'E, 1050 m, st. 3 Nov. 1984, Friis, Gilbert & Vollesen 3736 (ETH, K); along the Welmel R., Sodu Kebele, 20 km W off the main Goba Dolo road at 94 km, 'N, 'E, 1470 m, fl. & fr. 15 Dec. 2007, Sebsebe D., Tesfaye A. & Nordal 6655 (holotype ETH; isotype K); along the tributary of the Welmel R., Fenkel Kebele, 17 km W off the main Goba-Dolo road at 94 km, 'N, 'E, 1500 m, fl. 15 Dec. 2007, Sebsebe D., Tesfaye A. & Nordal 6656 (ETH). HABITAT. Vertical rock faces, edges of rocky valleys and on outcrops along rivers; m. CONSERVATION STATUS. Critically Endangered (CR), based on EOO (25 km 2 ); Endangered, based on AOO (12 km 2 based on 2 2 grid cell). Seemingly restricted to habitats near one river, the species is unlikely to occur in the surrounding vegetation types. PHENOLOGY. Flowering and fruiting in December. ETYMOLOGY. The species epithet of Aloe welmelensis refers to the Welmel River, along which the species is distributed. VERNACULAR NAME. Hargeissa (Oromiffa) USES. Sap from leaves used to relieve pain from ear infection. Warming the leaves and putting them on affected parts is reported to help against headaches and rheumatism. NOTES. Aloe welmelensis resembles A. tewoldei by having a similar decumbent habit. However, the new species differs from A. tewoldei by the marginal spines being white (not pinkish), obsolete to 1 mm long (not 2 mm long), flowers secund (not in all sides), perianth mm long (not 20 mm long) and pedicel 5 7mm long (not 12 mm long). Notes on phytogeography In Sebsebe Demissew et al. (2001) the 40 species known then were classified phytogeographically. The new species are all endemic (or, as in the case of Aloe clarkei, perhaps near endemic) to Ethiopia, raising the percentage of species of Aloe endemic or near-endemic to the country from the 87% recorded in 2001 to 89% now. No other genus with more than a few species in Ethiopia has such a high degree of endemism. Sebsebe Demissew et al. (2001) also analysed the distribution of Aloe in relation to vegetation types, and showed that the endemic and near-endemic species in particular occurred predominantly in two vegetation types. These are: (1) dry montane evergreen forest (and associated montane evergreen scrub or montane grassland), and (2) Acacia-Commiphora woodland and bushland. The new species are noteworthy because at least two represent a new group that occurs in Combretum-Terminalia-dominated deciduous woodlands with regular fires. One of these species is adapted to regular fires in its natural habitats by growing on rocky outcrops and the other occurs on steep slopes in a river gorge, over which grass-fires would probably pass quickly. Deciduous woodland with regular fires was a habitat not envisaged as suitable for members of Aloe by Sebsebe Demissew et al. (2001). Sebsebe Demissew et al. (2001, in Fig.7)divide the endemic species into three phytogeographical groups: (1) a group of northern-central endemics that mainly occur in dry montane evergreen forest (and associated montane evergreen scrub or montane grassland), (2) an eastern group of endemics that has rather similar ecological preferences to the first group, and (3) the southern endemics that mainly occur in Acacia-Commiphora woodland and bushland. Of the new species described since 2001, the phytogeographical affinities of A. clarkei are not clear. A. elkerriana would appear to belong to the southern endemics associated with Acacia- Commiphora woodland and bushland, as does A. jacksonii previously described from the same locality. A. weloensis would appear to belong with the northern-central endemics that are associated with Dry montane evergreen forest. However, with altitudinal records at m, A. weloensis is a typical Afromontane floristic element; it does not seem to fall in the same category as some of the high-montane species in Ethiopia, such as A. steudneri Schweinf. ex Penz. or A. ankoberensis M. G. Gilbert & Sebsebe, which are recorded from altitudes near the lower limit for the Afroalpine flora. The phytogeographical position of the last of the new species, A. welmelensis, is not completely clear, but it would, like A. friisii that has been collected from vertical rocks along intermittent rivers, seem to belong with the southern endemic species that mainly occur in Acacia- Commiphora woodland and bushland. However, A. tewoldei in the eastern group has a somewhat similar habit and habitat. The most surprising from ecological and phytogeographical points of view are A. benishangulana and A. ghibensis that seem to belong to an hitherto unrecognised western group mostly associated with firesusceptible Combretum-Terminalia woodlands. Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge support for field studies on the genus Aloe in the Flora Ethiopia from the Norwegian University Cooperation (NUFU) and the Carlsberg Foundation. The Director of ETH is thanked for making material available for study. The Keeper and Staff of the Herbarium, RBG, Kew, are

11 NEW SPECIES OF ALOE FROM ETHIOPIA AND ETHICS OF DESCRIBING NEW TAXA 121 thanked for providing work space and support during the herbarium study. We would like to thank Melanie Wilmot-Dear for help with the Latin diagnoses. References Anderson, W. R. (2007). Reply to van Rijckevorsel s Proposal to Suppress Selbyana vol. 23 Supplement. Taxon 56: Atwood, J. T., Dalström, S. & Fernández, R. (2002). Phragmipedium kovachii. Selbyana 23 (suppl., preprint): 1 [10 June 2002]. Christenson, E. (2002). Phragmipedium peruvianum. Orchids 71: 620. Dioli, M. & McCoy, T. (2007). Aloe elkerriana (Asphodelaceae), a new Ethiopian species from the type locality of A. jacksonii. Haseltonia 13: Higgins, W. E. & Benzing, D. H. (2007). Response to: Proposal to add Selbyana vol. 23 Supplement to the opera utique oppressa by Paul van Rijckevorsel. Taxon 56: Newton, L. E. (2002). A new species of Aloe on the Ethiopia-Sudan Border. Haseltonia No. 9: Sebsebe Demissew & Gilbert, M. (1997). Aloaceae. In: S. Edwards, Sebsebe Demissew & I. Hedberg (eds), Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea, Vol. 6: The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa & Uppsala. & (2000). A new species of Aloe (Aloaceae) from SW Ethiopia. Kew Bull. 55: & Dioli, M. (2000). A new Aloe (Aloaceae) species from Ogaden (Southeastern Ethiopia). Kew Bull. 55: , Nordal, I. & Stabbetorp, O. E. (2001). Endemism and patterns of distribution of the genus Aloe (Aloaceae) in the Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Biol. Skr. 54: , & (2003). Flowers of Ethiopia and Eritrea: aloes and other lilies. Shama Books, Addis Ababa. van Rijckevorsel, P. (2006). Proposal to add Selbyana vol. 23 Supplement to the opera utique oppressa. Taxon 55: