Botanical surprises in Ethiopia.
My biggest surprise that I have found in the plant kingdom of Ethiopia is Pyrenacantha malvifoli. In plain language it is called "monkey chair". What surprised me was not so much the plant itself, but the number of them in one area. Imagine such fat "potatoes" growing around on the ground all around you as far as the eye can see. And that "potato" can reach up to 1.5 m in diameter! I know 2 places where these specific plants grow. Of course, you will not find them in the entire territory of Ethiopia :)
The types of vegetation in Ethiopia are very diverse, from Afro-alpine to desert vegetation. There are many plant species, and the number of higher plants exceeds 7000 species, of which approx. 12% are probably endemic. Although no one has yet fully studied it, the field of work here is truly vast.
There are more than 30 different species of acacias alone. They are the most common trees throughout Ethiopia and are mostly recognized by their umbrella-shaped crown.
Did you know that Ethiopia is the original and only natural home of the wild Coffea arabica, widely recognized as the source of the world's most consumed and best coffee (the other species, C. canephora, native to Central and West Africa, is used to produce lower quality coffee). Ethiopia is also the 5 largest producer of coffee in the world, with coffee accounting for 34% of the country's export earnings and supporting 15 million smallholder farmers.
Ethiopia is a primary gene center for field crops such as nougat (Guizotia abyssinica ), teff ( Eragrostis tef), and Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata). In addition, field crops such as barley, sorghum, durum wheat, millet, field beans, flax, sesame seeds, safflower seeds, chickpeas, lentils, and fenugreek have a wide genetic diversity in Ethiopia.
In addition, about 80% of the Ethiopian population depends on traditional medicine for health care, and more than 95% of traditional medicine preparations in Ethiopia are made from herbal remedies. One of the popular medicinal plants is Aloe. And there are about 46 species of it there. Many of them are endemic to Ethiopia and many are also on the verge of extinction.
What else is interesting growing here? Oh yes! - in the mountains you can find Lobelia rhynchopetalum (giant lobelia - the only lobelia growing so high in the mountains and does not look like lobelia at all), Ensete ventricosum (Abyssinian banana - used for food and for other family needs. How? Let's go, you'll see!), Caralluma speciosa (large ground cover - succulent, survives in extreme drought and can also be eaten in times of hunger), Adenium obesum (Ethiopian desert rose - the so-called caudex plant, a plant with a big trunk where water accumulates, blooms with beautiful red-pink flowers), Echidnopsis urceolata (gemstone plant - also a succulent, which is coveted by all succulent collectors)....