Edithcolea
Encyclopedia
Edithcolea is a monotypic genus with a single species Edithcolea grandis (synonym: Edithcolea sordida NE Brown; 1895). Once classified in the family Asclepiadaceae
, it is now in the subfamily Asclepiadoideae of the dogbane family Apocynaceae
.
The genus is named after miss Edith Cole (1859-1940), who collected the type material for this plant together with mrs. Lort Philips in 1895 during a botanical expedition (1894-1895) led by mr. Ethelbert Edward Lort Phillips (1857-1944) from Berbera
to the Golis mountains in Northern Somalia. (ref Flor._Africa)
Edithcolea grandis is a succulent plant with leafless richly branched perennial and decumbent stems with a diameter of 2 to 4 cm and up to 30 cm in length (ref prota, ref Field 80). The glabrous
stems are 4 or 5 angled and armed with regularly placed hard and acute spinelike teeth or tubercules. The base color of the plant varies from green to red with brownish spots.
The bisexual flowers are 8 to 13 cm in diameter and are formed near the apex of the branches. The flower consists of an outer corolla with 5 corolla lobes (petals), which are fused halfway to the center and a relatively small inner corolla. The outside or back side of the flower is yellow to green. The inside consist of a pale yellow base color with a purple-reddish pattern of spots at the outside that gradually become smaller near the inner corona, which has itself has concentric reddish lines. Long purple hairs are present at the border of the brim of the outer corolla lobes. The remarkable flower is at times described as the Persian carpet flower. The carrion-like smell of the flowers attracts flies and other insects for pollination
.
The fruit (follicles) contain a large number of seeds. The oval shaped seeds bear a tuft of hairs (coma) so they can be dispersed with the wind.
The smaller variant baylissiana (Lavros & Hardy) has more branched stems that are smaller in diameter (1 to 1.5 cm), shorter (10cm) and are often spirally twisted.
Edithcolea grandis is distributed throughout Ethiopia
, Somalia
, Kenya
, Tanzania
, Uganda
, Yemen
, and Socotra
Island. The plant is found in dry and arid
regions. Sometimes in full sun, but mostly partly shaded by rocks and shrubby vegetation.
The stem of Edithcolea grandis is eaten as a vegetable
in Ethiopia and Somalia. (Ref prota, ref Getahuna 1974)
Edithcolea grandis is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental in desert gardens worldwide. It has a gained a reputation as a particularly difficult plant to keep because of its very specific growing needs with much light and relatively high (above 15°C) winter temperatures. It’s very susceptible to rot in combination with low temperatures.
Asclepiadaceae
According to APG II, the Asclepiadaceae is a former plant family now treated as a subfamily in the Apocynaceae...
, it is now in the subfamily Asclepiadoideae of the dogbane family Apocynaceae
Apocynaceae
The Apocynaceae or dogbane family is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, and lianas.Many species are tall trees found in tropical rainforests, and most are from the tropics and subtropics, but some grow in tropical dry, xeric environments. There are also perennial herbs...
.
The genus is named after miss Edith Cole (1859-1940), who collected the type material for this plant together with mrs. Lort Philips in 1895 during a botanical expedition (1894-1895) led by mr. Ethelbert Edward Lort Phillips (1857-1944) from Berbera
Berbera
Berbera is a city and seat of Berbera District in Somaliland, a self-proclaimed Independent Republic with de facto control over its own territory, which is recognized by the international community and the Somali Government as a part of Somalia...
to the Golis mountains in Northern Somalia. (ref Flor._Africa)
Edithcolea grandis is a succulent plant with leafless richly branched perennial and decumbent stems with a diameter of 2 to 4 cm and up to 30 cm in length (ref prota, ref Field 80). The glabrous
Glabrousness
Glabrousness is the technical term for an anatomically atypical lack of hair, down, or similar structures...
stems are 4 or 5 angled and armed with regularly placed hard and acute spinelike teeth or tubercules. The base color of the plant varies from green to red with brownish spots.
The bisexual flowers are 8 to 13 cm in diameter and are formed near the apex of the branches. The flower consists of an outer corolla with 5 corolla lobes (petals), which are fused halfway to the center and a relatively small inner corolla. The outside or back side of the flower is yellow to green. The inside consist of a pale yellow base color with a purple-reddish pattern of spots at the outside that gradually become smaller near the inner corona, which has itself has concentric reddish lines. Long purple hairs are present at the border of the brim of the outer corolla lobes. The remarkable flower is at times described as the Persian carpet flower. The carrion-like smell of the flowers attracts flies and other insects for pollination
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
.
The fruit (follicles) contain a large number of seeds. The oval shaped seeds bear a tuft of hairs (coma) so they can be dispersed with the wind.
The smaller variant baylissiana (Lavros & Hardy) has more branched stems that are smaller in diameter (1 to 1.5 cm), shorter (10cm) and are often spirally twisted.
Edithcolea grandis is distributed throughout Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, and Socotra
Socotra
Socotra , also spelt Soqotra, is a small archipelago of four islands in the Indian Ocean. The largest island, also called Socotra, is about 95% of the landmass of the archipelago. It lies some east of the Horn of Africa and south of the Arabian Peninsula. The island is very isolated and through...
Island. The plant is found in dry and arid
Arid
A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
regions. Sometimes in full sun, but mostly partly shaded by rocks and shrubby vegetation.
The stem of Edithcolea grandis is eaten as a vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
in Ethiopia and Somalia. (Ref prota, ref Getahuna 1974)
Edithcolea grandis is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental in desert gardens worldwide. It has a gained a reputation as a particularly difficult plant to keep because of its very specific growing needs with much light and relatively high (above 15°C) winter temperatures. It’s very susceptible to rot in combination with low temperatures.
Literature
- D.V. Field. Edithcolea grandis. Asklepios 20: 18-21, 1980.
- J.J. Lavranos & D.S. Hardy. Edithcolea grandis var. baylissiana Lavranos & Hardy. Asklepios 20: 21-23, 1980.
- Focke Albers und Ulrich Meve (Hrsg.): Illustrated handbook of succulent plants, Volume 3. Springer-Verlag 2002, 335 pages, ISBN 3-540-41964-0.
- Sigrid Liede-Schumann und Ulrich Meve: The Genera of Asclepiadoideae, Secamonoideae and Periplocoideae (Apocynaceae): Edithcolea - Online. (in Englisch)
- PROTA 2: Vegetables / Légumes 2004, page 292. Backhuys Publishers. ISBN 978-90-5782-147-9
- J.J. Lavranos, D.S. Hardy, 1963.
- Flora of tropical Africa, Volume 4, Section 1, Daniel Oliver, L. Reeve, 1937, reprint 1958