1961621 TWO JOURNEYS TO THE ARAENNA MOUNTAINS 127

AN ACCOUN_T ,OF TWO JOURNEYS TO THE ARAENNA MOUN-

TAINS IN BALE PROVINCE (SOUTH-EAST ETHIOPIA), 1958 AND
1959-60
MOONEY,C.I.E., C.B.E., Sc.D., F.L.S.
By HERBERT
CONTENTS
Page
INTRODUCTION
: Purpose of the journeys ......................................................... 127
NARRATIVE : DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY AND VEGETATION :-
Preliminary discussion and reasons for exploring the Araenna mountains, p. 128 ; doubts
about the existence of M t Bzltu, p. 128 ; doubtful validity of the name Mendebo when applied
to these mountains, p. 130.
ADDISABABATO GOBA:-
Crops cultivated between Addis Ababa and Mojjio, p. 131 ; destruction of Acacia forest
for charcoal manufacture, p. 132 ; Lake Zwai, p. 132 ; Rift Valley lakes, p. 132 ; Jigesa to
Kofol6, p. 132 ; the kosso tree and iant thistles, p. 133 ; cross the Webi Shebeli. p. 133 ;
Adtiba, p. 133 ; troublewith the Lancf Rover, p. 133 ; an uncomfortablecamp, p. 133 ; camp
a t Gurie, p. 134 ; reach Goba, p. 134.
AT GOBA1-
Arranging the caravan, p. 134 ; a helpful official, p. 134 ; start for the mountains and
reach Angtisu, p. 135.
ACROSSTHE HIGHPLATEAU :-
The moorland a t Angtisu, p. 135 ; the Togdna valley, p. 136 ; reach Btitu, p. 136 ; climb
Saneti peak, p. 136 ; incredible number of rodents, p. 136 ; evidence of glaciation, p. 137 :
snow not recorded ; march to camp I11 on the high plateau, p. 137 ; climb M t Dimtu. p.
137 ; description of Saneti plain, p. 137 ; altitude of Dimtu peak, p. 137 ; plants found on
summit of M t Dimtu and the high plateau, p. 137 ; animal life on the plateau, p. 138 ; climb
Tigrita peak, p. 138 ; march toRira. p. 138 ; Rira village and its surroundings,p. 138 ; descent
from Rira to Ordobba, p. 139.
COUNTRY SOUTH OF THE MAIN RANGE :-
Ordobba, p. 139 ; march from Ordobba to -110, p. 139 ; Podocurpus forest, p. 139 ;
destruction of valuable forest at Helgol and poor coffee cultivation, p. 140 ; Bulluk and
Shnka, unreliability of the map, p. 140 ; AngBtu, p. 141 ; a sociable Galla woman, p. 141 ;
scarcity of eggs, p. 141 ; primitive cultivation, p. 141 ; march from Bulluk to Fatcha, p.
141 ; fine kararo forest, p. 141 ; lands of Fatcha village, p. 141.
CROSSINGTHE RANGE BY THE BIROL$PASS TO D ~ D ~:-L A
Bamboo forest, p. 142 ; Goromti camp, p. 142 ; camp at BirolB, p. 142 ; ponies fall sick,
p. 142 ; camp at Tiniso, p. 142 ; amve at Ddddla, p. 143.
ENDOF THE JOURNEY :-
March from Ddddla to AdSba, p. 142 ; camp on the Webi Shebelli, p. 143 ; return by
Land-Rover to Addis Ababa. Discussion regarding the peaks of the Bltu group and com-
parison with other East African mountains.
PERSONAL .....................................................................
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 143
REFERENCES
TO WORKS CITED ....................................................
I N THE TEXT.. 14-4
A LISTOF PLANTS
COLLECTED ABOVE 3000 METRESIN THE ARAENNA MOUNTAINS ...... 144
LISTOF PLANTSCOLLECTED ABOVE 3000 METRESON MT C H I L ~ ~ L O MT KAKX IN
AND
ARUSSIAND FROM KUNDIAND GOSHMEDA NEAR DEBRA BERHANI N SHOA ............ 147
MAPS :-
MAP OF SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA
SHOWING POSITION OF THE ARAENNA MOUNTA~NS ......... 127
SKETCH MAPOFTHE BXTUMOUNTAINGROUP ...................................................... 129
128 PROCEEDINGS OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON P74,
INTRODUCTION
THEREare few parts of Ethiopia that have not been explored a t some time or
another by foreign travellers and scarcely any of the higher peaks remain
unclimbed. This account of the Araenna mountains deals with what is still the
least known tract of high country which was till quite recently unexplored.
I t was largely inspired by the late Dr Hugh Scott's two interesting papers
(Scott, 1952 and 1958) and is, to some extent, supplementary to them. In
194849 he travelled in the Gugh6 mountains in GFimu Gdfa province and in
1952-53 in the Simien ranges, both of which are situated west and north of the
Rift Valley-the Simien group in the far north being perhaps the most explored
34Ot 36*L 3€tL 40' E 42"F. +JOE

and best known part of the country. The Araenna mountains, on the other
hand, lie to the east of the Rift and form the most southerly mass of high ground
in Ethiopia. The highlands of Arussi, slightly further north, include Mts KSkH,
Encuolo and ChilHlo. They are also located on the eastern side of the Rift and
have been visited by more than one expedition, but the Araenna group appears
to have escaped attention. The ChokC mountains in Gojjam were explored by
the Cambridge Expedition of 1957 but these are northwest of the Rift Valley.
The general topography and the conformation of the mountains of southern
Ethiopia differ considerably from those of the northern provinces. The country
as a whole is much more gently contoured and less cut up by deep gorges such as
those of the Blue Nile, the Taccazz6 and many other rivers, and the mountains,
are far less rugged and precipitous than those in the provinces of Wollo, TigrC
Begemder and Gojjam.
I t was my good fortune, whilst working in the capacity of Forestry Adviser
with the British Middle East Development Division, to be able to visit Ethiopia
1961-621 TWO JOURNEYS TO THE ARAENNA MOUNTAINS 129
on several occasionsand to live in Addis Ababa for three years from 1958 to 1961.
This provided me with many opportunities for travel in the more remote parts
of this beautiful and fascinating country, inspecting its forests and reporting to
the Ethiopian Government on their potentialities. It also gave me an unique
chance to pursue my interest in botany and to make a useful collection of plants,
which forms the nucleus of the National Herbarium a t University College,
Addis Ababa, duplicates of which are a t Kew. While collecting wherever I
went, my chief interest was in the higher mountains and the afro-alpine flora.
Hence this paper.
The purpose of my journeys to the Araenna mountains was to explore this
high country, about which little appeared to be known, and to ascertain the
height of some of the outstanding peaks. I t was also my intention to investigate
the vegetation and to fill in this gap on the phytogeographical map of the country
by making a comprehensive collection of plants from high altitudes.

NARRATIVE : DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRYAND VEGETATION

When I first travelled through the provinces of Arussi and S i d h o in December
1953, I could see from the summit of Mt KBk2 (c. 3886 m.) the extensive tract
of mountainous country with several high peaks rising along the horizon across
the valley of the Webi Shebelli in the south of Balk province. This great
mountain mass stands out clearly on the 1: 500,000 G.S.G.S. map in longitude
39"-40" East : latitude 6" 30'-7" 00' North and is variously named the Mendebo
or Araenna mountains. The highest peak marked is BBtu with an altitude of
14,171 ft or 4393 metres. When I learned that this was virtually unexplored
country, I decided to investigate it at the first opportunity. Time did not per-
mit me to visit the region then, and it was not till April 1958 that I was able
to do so. Subsequently, in December 1959, I made a second excursion and devoted
more time to exploring these highlands. On the first occasion I travelled from
Addis Ababa to Goba by road, which took five days, but on the second trip I
flew by Ethiopian Air Lines and reached Goba in little over an hour. In this
account I shall describe the journey by road, but from Goba onwards I shall
combine the two since they cover the same ground for part of the way. The first
journey was of short duration and had to be curtailed owing to shortage of fuel
and supplies. The second was more fully organized as I intended to cross
the Biitu massif into the catchment of the GanBlC Doria or Gudda river in order
to explore the extensive forests of that region, returning across the ranges by
the BirolC Pass to D6d6la : a journey of one month's duration by mule
caravan.
The object of these journeys was threefold. In the first place, I wished to
examine on behalf of the Ethiopian Government the valuable forests which
were said to exist in the region ; secondly, to make a collection of plants from
the largest area of elevated country in southern Ethiopia ; and, thirdly, to verify
the name of 'BBtu' and the height of this peak. The need for checking the
name of this mountain arose from a visit paid by Mr John Rich of the British
Embassy to Goba in May 1956 when, in a brief report, he mentioned that he had
enquired from many people regarding the position of Mt Bgtu but that he could
obtain no reliable information and that there appeared to be considerable doubt
if there was, in fact, such a mountain. This doubt was also expressed in Douglas
Busk's book The Fountain of the Sun where he states that in his view Mt Bgtu
has never been climbed by any European, 'if indeed the mountain exists'.
That there might be an unclimbed, if somewhat mythical, peak awaiting
discovery and that the region was virtually unexplored lent an added interest
to the trip.
When Rich visited Goba he only halted there for a few days and did not
130 PROCEEDINGS OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON [174,
penetrate into the mountains beyond. From the information which he picked
up locally he painted a bleak and unattractive picture of this hinterland, which
he described as 'undoubtedly forbidding country with perpetual cold winds,
rain and hail '. He cast doubt on the existence of the mountain called B%tuand
reported that nobody in Goba knew of it, which is surprising to say the least of
it. I was more fortunate in this respect for, before setting out from Goba I met
the Bal%b%t or local chieftain of &a, whose territory covers the region, and he

assured me that there was such a mountain. It was, however, clear that I was
about to enter a little known area and that climatic conditions might be severe.
Indeed, some attempt was made to dissuade me from undertaking the trip in
view of the vividly painted difficulties it was said I would surely encounter, both
men and animals being known to have died of exposure in the mountains.
Fortunately, the Vice-Governor of Bid&,Ganyajmach Mamu Saiyum, was more
encouraging and gave me every possible help in obtaining transport, a reliable
guide in the person of the Bdiib5t of Rira and an escort of two police constables.
He claimed to have travelled in the mountains himself and said that unless I
encountered unusually bad weather the trip was not difficult.
1961-621 TWO JOURNEYS TO THE ARAENNA MOUNTAINS 131
The area which it was intended to explore is shown on some maps and
atlases as the 'Mendebo Mountains ' but the 1 : 500,000 map of East Africa
gives the name ' Araenna ' to this mountain complex, which lies a short distance
southwest of the small town of Goba (40" 00' E. : 7" 00' N.), the capital of BZl6
province. It is situated almost entirely in the province of Bill6 on the borders
of Arussi and Sidamo not far east of Lakes Awasa and Abbaye in the Rift Valley.
The valley of the Webi Shebelli bounds it on the north and the basin of the
GanrIle Doria on the southwest and west. This region, which is described by
Rich as the ' Aruanna Massif appears to cover 4000 to 4500 square miles of
I,

mountainous country. From the map it would appear to consist of a vast

tableland entirely over 3500 metres with numerous peaks exceeding 3900
metres. This, however, is not correct as the map is most unreliable. In fact,
the mountain complex is broken up by a number of deep valleys which penetrate
its interior and, in many cases, descend as low as 1850 metres. There is,
nevertheless, one part which deserves to be described as a massif. It is the
tract around Mt BrItu, including the peaks Dimtu and Tigrita, which is not less
than 150-200 square miles in extent and is entirely above 3900 metres elevation.
The validity of the name ' Mendebo ' when applied to these ranges between
Goba and Sidamo is, in my opinion, open to question. I enquired closely into
this matter and am convinced that the correct name for this tract of country
lying roughly between Dbddla and Dallo (MZsslo or Mgsno) is ' Araenna ' or
' Arenna '. It covers the territory of the BalrIbHt of Rira and embraces the
main block of high mountains. This was confirmed from two very reliable
sources : the BalrIbrIt of Rira himself and the Governor (also BalHb2t) of Dbddla,
both of them elderly men who have lived their lives in the region. ' Mendebo '
seems to apply to a smaller group of mountains near AdrIba on the fringe of the
main block.
To the north and northeast of this great mountain range lie the valley of the
Webi Shebelli and the wide fertile plain of BrI16. Apart from the small town of
Goba (pop. c. 5000), the important villages of Adsba and Dddbla are situated
on its northern flank at 2480 m. and 2745 m. respectively. The interior of the
mountain region is virtually uninhabited. The only village of any importance
is Rira with about forty families, situated two marches from Goba in a deep val-
ley beyond the BrItu massif. Apart from Rira, there are a few isolated hamlets
consisting usually of four or five homesteads scattered in the interior valleys.
The population consists exclusively of primitive Moslem Gallas.
Until quite recently I was under the impression that there was no authentic
record of any foreign individual or expedition having entered the poorly mapped
region west of Goba or of anyone having climbed Mt BrItu. I examined the liter-
ature published by various expeditions which visited this part of Ethiopia but
could find no evidence that any of them had penetrated the mountainous
tract between Goba and the Rift Valley or that any of them had reported peaks
over 3000 metres. The Bottego expedition of 1895 passed far to the south in
its exploration of the Juba and Omo rivers. Du Bourg de Bozas in 1901-02
passed through Goba into the basin of the Gande Doria without entering the
higher parts of the mountainous region. The expedition of Neurnann and Freiherr
von Erlanger explored the country around Goba in 1901 but not even their
botanist, Dr Ellenbeck, makes any mention of peaks over 3600 metres and it is
fairly certain that they did not examine the Araenna mountains. The massive
expedition of the Duke of Abruzzi was concerned with exploring the course of
the Webi Shebelli in 1928 and, although they skirted the region and actually
visited Goba and Ghinir, quite definitely did not enter the massif. It would a t
least seem probable that some Italians penetrated the area during their occupa-
tion of the country between 1935 and 1940 but there is no record of their having
done so. The Italian Guide Book mentions two mule caravan routes across the
132 PROCEEDINGS OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON p74,
mountains from Goba to MBsslo (more correctly ‘Miisno’) but these would not
pass through the Bgtu-Rira region. In any case, the main track to Ma n o
crosses out of the basin of the Webi Shebelli into that of the GanBle Doria by
the 3350 m. pass a few miles south of Goba, which is the route followed by Du
Bourg de Bozas when he went that way to slaughter elephants in 1901 and is
well to the east of the main ranges.
In his book Seven Years in Southern Ethio$ia Captain (later Sir Arnold)
Hodson, then British Consul at Mega, refers to a march he did during the rainy
season of 1916, when he seems to have traversed some part of the Araenna range.
Leaving Goba on 24 July, he states : ‘ On the summit was a large treeless plateau,
terribly cold and bleak ’ ; and he goes on to speak of crossing the mountain close
to a peak called Dima (? Dimtu) where he experienced ‘ a terrific storm of rain
and hail which gave the mountain-top the appearance of a snowfield. This
description agrees well with what I saw of the BBtu plateau myself, although I
was not there during the rainy season. Busk, on the other hand, states that
‘ Arnold Hodson and the Duke of Abruzzi skirted the area without however,
penetrating the range. ’
Until quite recently, when I was preparing material for this paper, I was under
the impression that this group of mountains had never been properly explored.
I then learned that Professor Helmer Smeds had, in fact, visited the region
with the Finnish-Scandinavian Geographical Expedition in March 1954 and
subsequently in October 1957, January 1958 and March 1958. A brief account
of his expeditions entitled The BEtu Mountains of the BZld Plateau, Ethiopia was
published in Vol. LXIV, No. CCXCIX of the Alpifie Journal.

ADDISABABATO GOBA
The journey to Goba by road is not one to be lightly undertaken, and anyone
intending to do so would be well advised to use a vehicle with four-wheel drive
as the road is difficult in parts. One large river, the Webi Shebelli, has to be
crossed and, in the event of rain, which may be expected a t almost any time of
year, the long stretches of black-cotton soil in the BBlC plain and around Adtiba
could present a formidable obstacle. The best time for the trip is between
January and the end of April when the Webi Shebelli is normally fordable ; but
in favourable years the latter half of December might not be too early nor the
middle of May too late for the undertaking.
I left Addis Ababa on 2 April 1958 in a long-wheelbase Land-Rover accom-
panied by my driver and cook. We reached Jigesa, near ShashamannC, the
same afternoon and could have got as far as KofolC but we ran into heavy rain
and thought it prudent to spend the night at the Jigesa sawmill, where we were
entertained by Signor Menini and his staff. Rain continued through the evening
and into the night, which would have made the track to KofolC extremely
hazardous had we decided to push on.
The journey from Addis Ababa to ShashamannC, a distance of 155 miles,
can be accomplished in a matter of five hours or less as the road is excellent.
For the first 48 miles to Mojjio it crosses a well cultivated plain, gradually falling
from 2450 to 1800 metres, where the road to the south branches off. This
descent of over 600 metres is reflected in the crops along the way. At first
wheat and tef (Eragrostistef) predominate with a small admixture of pulses such
as shimbra (Cicer arietinum) and gwaya (Vicia saliva). There are lesser quan-
tities of linseed, lentils and safflower or suf (Carthamus tinctorius), which add
colour to the landscape when in blossom, as does the widely cultivated oil-seed,
nug (Guizotia abyssinica), especially from October to January. This type
of cultivation persists till well past DebraZeit (Bishoftu) but with falling altitude
the rainfall diminishes until at Mojjio it is scarcely more than 500 mm. and
1961-621 TWO JOURNEYS TO THE ARAENNA MOUNTAINS 133
crops such as mashila (Sorghum vulgare) come more and more into evidence. No
forest is met with in this section of the route but scattered grZr (mostly
Acacia etbaica, A . xiphocarpa and A . abyssinica) and wansa (Cordia abyssinica)
still survive in the cultivated fields, the last-named a striking spectacle with its
mantle of white flowers during August, September, October and early November.
From Mojjio onwards across the Awash river it is evident that until quite
recently the whole country was covered in Acacia forest. This has decreased
rapidly under the onslaught of charcoal-burning ; and even within the last four
or five years large areas of comparatively dense forest have been cut down to
provide charcoal for the town of Addis Ababa and then brought under cultivation
for Sorghum. I have travelled this road a number of times during the past nine
years and there is one thing which cannot fail to strike one : the rapid disappear-
ance of the once valuable Acacia forests under the impact of uncontrolled char-
coal-burning followed by excessive grazing and low-grade cultivation. The day
is obviously not far off when the last vestige of forest will have been cleared
away from the fifty miles stretch of road between Mojjio and A d h i Tullu. The
more common species of Acacia here are A . etbaica and A . albida in association
with Balanites aegyptica, Dobera glabra, Cadaba farinosa and some species of the
genus Capparis. Termitaria begin to appear soon after passing the village of
Alemtena, the altitude being then well below 1800 metres.
Lake Zwai, the first of the Rift Valley lakes, lies close on the left of the road.
Here the extremely heavy incidence of grazing becomes noticeable ; and it is
seldom that one passes along this section of the road without being held up
several times to allow hundreds of cattle to cross on their way to or returning
from the lake.
After Adsmi Tullu (Euphorbia Hill), we find ourselves among the lakes of the
Rift Valley with Langano bn the left and Abigiato on the right-the latter said
to be a breeding ground for flamingoes ; and some miles further on Lake Shala.
Here the Acacia bush is more or less untouched. Acacia seyal is common and
A . gerrnrdii frequent. Around the southern end of Lake Langano the kalquol
tree (Euphorbia candelabrum) is conspicuous.
From the level of the lakes the road now climbs to Neghelli in the province of
Arussi and the vegetation changes again. There is more cultivation; the
countryside is dotted with large fig trees ; and, as we approach ShashamannC,
the conifer zigba (Podocarpus gracilior) appears, indicating higher altitude and
rainfall.
I t is interesting to note that when the late Dr Hugh Scott covered this
ground on his return journey from the GughC mountains in 1949, he took two
days and a half (276 hours driving time) by lorry from Dilla to Addis Ababa.
On my way to Nairobi in June 1959 I covered the same distance, 230 miles, in
seven hours by Land-Rover, such has been the improvement in this road.
Next morning, April 3, we set out from Jigesa, the track to KofolC being
rough and, after the previous night’s rain, slippery and treacherous in parts.
I t runs through dense forest for the first eight miles or so, gradually climbing
from about 2150 to 2750 metres. The principal tree is the valuable zigba,
which frequently attains a height of 40 metres and a diameter of 200 cm.
Another important constituent of the forest is tukur-inchet (Pygeum ajricanum)-
a useful hardwood suitable for heavy constructional work. At about 2600 m.
we emerged into open parkland consisting of expanses or rich grassland inter-
spersed with clumps of trees and some larger patches of forest. Zigba trees had
become scarce, their place being taken by immense specimens of gatema (SchefJra
abyssinica), their spreading branches draped with epiphytic ferns-mostly
Drynaria holstii, A s @ l m i u m aethiopicum, Loxoscaphe thecifera, L. lanceolatum
and Pleopeltis lameolata-orchidssuch as Polystachya benfiettiana, and Peperomia
holstii. The region would appear to be one of fairly high rainfall and humidity.
134 PROCEEDINGS OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON v74,
Higher up near KofoM at about 2745 metres the kmch tree (Erythrilza brucei)
was frequent, often forming small gregarious groups along the fringe of the
forest ; and, although the best part of the flowering season was over, a few of its
vermillion flowers could be seen still clinging to the leafless twigs in April.
The kosso tree (HageNia abyssilzica) was also becoming increasingly abundant
although, of course, long past flowering. The giant thistle, Echimops elleNbeckii,
is common between Kofol6 and KorC and extends north along the range to
Asella but although quite frequent in this area, I have not observed it elsewhere
in Ethiopia. This plant is often three metres tall with a woody stem and showy,
globular heads of crimson flowers u p to 25 cm. in diameter. Blue irises (Moraea
schimperi) added a pleasant touch of colour to the grasslands.
The night's rain had not reached KofoM but nevertheless it took two hours
to cover the fifteen miles from Jigesa. The track now turns northeast and runs
for fourteen miles along the crest of a flat ridge, which forms the watershed
between the Rift Valley and the basin of the Webi Shebelli, to KorC. Here care
must be taken when using diversions to avoid marshy ground where the pipe-
wort, Eriocaulmc schimperi, is frequent. The country is fairly open but is
studded with hombolchar trees (Maytelzus ovatus), most of them densely infested
with epiphytic orchids-Diaphalzanthe schimperiana, Polysbachya caduca and
P. eurychila-and draped with the clubmoss, Lycopodium saururm, and the
graceful epiphyte Canarina emilzii, its large, bell-shaped, orange-coloured
flowers now just opening. Further along, near KorC there is a forest of kosso
(Hagelzia abyssilzica), which presents a magnificent spectacle with its great
pendulous panicles of rose-red blossoms in the months of January and February.
From KorC to the Webi Shebelli the track runs in an easterly direction and
traverses an uninteresting treeless plain in a wide valley given over entirely to
pasture. As we gained the lower part of the valley, heavy clouds were gathering
on all the surrounding mountains. Hence, on reaching the ford a t Malca
Wacanna I decided to cross the river at once and camp on the far side, despite the
fact that there is a much better camping ground in a grove of Acacias on the left
bank. The ford, which is about 150 yards wide, presented no difficulty as there
was not more than 16 inches of water at its deepest point. It had taken us seven
hours and a quarter to cover the distance of approximately 70 miles from
Jigesa.
April 4. Leaving the Webi, we crossed a dead flat plain on black-cotton soil
for nine miles to AdBba. Fortuuately, there had been no rain. This small and
unattractive village of maybe 1500 habitants is the headquarters of a sub-
district under D6d6la. The Sudan Interior Mission has a station here with a
school and a first-aid clinic.
From Adiiba the track climbs rapidly and steeply for about 15 miles to 3750
metres. The surface is extremely rough and strewn with loose boulders in
places, but the remains of the original pavement laid by the Italians about 1937-
40 is still to be seen here and there. On this climb our petrol pump began to
give trouble and it was only with difficulty and after several stops that we
reached the summit. As it was by then four o'clock in the afternoon, we de-
cided to call it a day and pitch camp although it had not been our intention to
do so. By now we had passed the upper limit of the juniper (Jzllziperus procera)
at about 3500 m. and the hills had taken on a barren appearance, their principal
covering being the giant heath, Erica arborea, with scattered clumps of garamba
(Hypericum lapzceolatum),usually 4-5 m. high. Bartsia longifEora, Helichrysum
splefididum and Merelzdra abyssimica, which much resembles a n Autumn
Crocus, were all fairly common.
Nights at this altitude are cold even during the month of April. The
temperature at 7 p.m. was 5" Centigrade and fell to 0.5%. under the outer fly of
my tent during the night. A halt at this high point on the road is not recom-
1961621 TWO JOURNEYS TO THE ARAENNA MOUNTAINS 135
mended for, apart from the cold, there is no water anywhere near this bleak,
windswept spot.
The following morning was spent fruitlessly trying to repair the petrol pump.
A drizzle set in which developed into steady rain by noon. By three o ' clock
we had despaired of fixing the defective pump, so we rigged up a direct feed
to the carburettor from a jerrican by means of a length of rubber tubing and set
off for Dehnso (' Gurie ' on the map), seventeen miles distant, which we reached
by nightfall. On our way down we passed through much Hypericum scrub and
the raspberry, Rubus volkensii, was noticeably frequent. At about 3200 metres
we entered a wide valley with no signs of habitation. The Giant Fennel (Ferula
communis) and Artemisia afra were frequent, and in the marshy ground Poten-
tilla hispancia flourished in company with Alchemilla elleabeckii. Many small
marmot-like rodents, to which later reference will be made, were seen here.
With rain threatening, we made haste to get into camp and spent a comfortable
night near the attractively situated and friendly village of Dehnso. Several
small subgregarious patches of the Giant Lobelia (Lobelia rhymhopetalum) were
observed near this village growing in scrub consistingly mainly of Hypericum
lartceolatum, Artemisia afra and Euphorbia depauperata. This is a low altitude
for this Giant Lobelia, which seldom occurs much below 3400 metres.
With our makeshift petrol feed in operation, we continued next morning
across the fertile BalC plain and reached Goba shortly after noon without
incident. Fortunately, there had not been any rain for a day or so, otherwise
we should certainly have had trouble on the black clay plain which extends for
some twenty-five miles north and east of Goba. Given favourable conditions,
it should be possible to make Goba from Adgba in about twelve hours by Land-
Rover.
AT GORA
The next four days were spent calling on the local officials, collecting informa-
tion and arranging for mules to take us into the mountains. The Vice-Governor,
Ganyajmach Mamu Saiyum, was kindness itself but nevertheless getting the
mules was a tedious business, which was not made easier by the fact that in
1958 Coptic Easter and Id-ul-Fitr-the feast terminating the Moslem fast of
Ramadan-were due to be celebrated in a few days time. Our camp was sited
alongside the air-strip, the altitude of which I fixed a t 9100 feet or 2737 metres
from the readings of two altimetres. This was confirmed by a pilot of Ethiopian
Air Lines and was therefore used as the datum level for all future altitude
readings.
On the second trip, which I made in December 1959, I travelled by air to
Goba. This saves much time and is not unduly expensive. As well as I can
remember, the cost of transporting myself, two servants and about 400 lbs of
tents and equipment was under L15. It is well, however, to notify the date of
one's arrival some time in advance to obviate delay in procuring mules and
ponies. The price charged for a mixed caravan of mules and ponies worked out
at Eth. $.1.50 or 4/6d. a day per animal. It is wise to take a couple of spare
animals to avoid delays through sickness ; and it is absolutely essential to
inspect backs before hiring, otherwise it will be found that several are unfit to
carry loads. I t is also a good thing to ask for a police escort of one constable.
The local authorities are always pleased to comply with this request and his
presence with the caravan can be useful in many ways, though not necessary for
protection.
Since the journey from Goba to Rira was identical on both journeys in
April 1958 and December 1959, I shall combine the two in this account. On the
first my transport consisted of three pack animals and two riding mules, in
addition to which I had two constables for escort and was fortunate in having
136 PROCEEDINGS OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON [I741
the Baliibiit of Rira, Ganyajmach Abu Bakr Derga, as guide. On the second
trip I employed six pack and three riding animals and was accompanied by
only one police escort.
ACROSSTHE HIGHPLATEAU
The first march was to Angbu, a small hamlet situated at 3500 m. close to
the tree line and the lip of the first plateau. This takes about three hours, the
route lying at first through cultivated fields and then through pleasant, open,
juniper parkland studded with thickets of Rosa abyssinica and Rubus steudrteri.
It is probable that this was formerly closed forest but cutting and burning for
pasture has resulted in the parkland we now see. Most of the juniper trees are of
poor form and of little value as timber. This forest is not to be compared with
the magnificent virgin stands of juniper in the Wofbha forest near Debra Sina.
This region has a somewhat different rainfall rkgime from most parts of the
Ethiopian highlands. The annual total at Goba is not more than 800 mm. but
it is well distributed throughout the year in light falls so that the more enter-
prising farmers raise two crops. There are peaks in April-May and in July.
January is the driest month. The countryside is always green and the humidity
is probably always fairly high. The rainfall in parts of the higher mountains
may be of the order of 1000 mm. but probably not more.
At about 3200 m. the juniper begins to thin out and gives way to Scheflera
abyssirtica, Rapartea melanophloeos, Hypericum lanceolatum and Hagmia
abyssinica. Euphorbia depauperata and Crotalaria bieberi are common shrubs,
while the glades are populated with little blue lobelias (L.mirtutulata), Viola
abyssirtica, Parochetus commzcrtis and Ranmculus oreOphytus. The tree line is
reached at about 3500 m. with dense stands of Hypericum lartceolatum 10 metres
tall and a few scattered kosso. I have not seen pure stands of Hypericum of this
size elsewhere.
I camped in a pleasant glade just below the tree line and spent a couple of
days on both occasions exploring the moorland which begins at this altitude and
extends across the mountains for many miles. From here, on the first trip, I had
to send back two of the mules, which were unfit to continue ; and on the second
journey I took the precaution of arranging for several pony-loads of firewood to
accompany us from Angau for our camps on the plateau, where no fuel of any
kind is to be had. This is essential if halts are to be made above 3350 m. as frost
occurs on most nights. The minumum temperature at Angbu on the night of
15 December was 0" C and the relative humidty at 8 a.m. 90%.
The moorland, which begins at about 3500 m. and extends up to almost
4000 m., is covered for the most part with low heath, Helichrysum citrispirtum,
H . splertdidum, Alchemilla jolanstolzii, A . abyssinica, Sestecio myriocephalacs,
S . stolzii, S . subsessilis, Pimpinella oreophila and numerous rushes, sedges
and grasses among which Luzula abyssinica, Carex mortostachya, Deschampsia
jlexuosa, var. afromontasza, Pentaschistis pictigluma and Koeleria cristata var.
convoluta were most noticeable. The commonest plant is Erica arborea but
owing to repeated cutting and burning it seldom attains more than two metres
in height. The ground flora is rich in small composites and labiates such as
HaPlocarPha rueppellii, Stachys alpigerta, Micromeria biJEora and Bartsia
petitiarta. A most attractive pimpernel, Anagallis serperts, with pink flowers
over one centimetre in diameter is locally abundant. The most striking plant
is undoubtedly rtatchilo (Helichrysum citrispinum), which forms large cushions
two metres or more in diameter and 60-75 cm. high. It covers large tracts up
to 4000 m. and, when seen at a distance gives the effect of patches of snow on
the mountainside due to its pale foliage and silvery-white bracts. A small
Helichrysum, very likely a new species, previously collected on Mt Chilido and
Mt K&a, was again found here.
 1961-623 TWO JOURNEYS TO THE ARAENNA MOUNTAINS 137
From Angrisu our way took a westerly direction across moorland for some
miles till we reached the valley of the Tog6na river, which falls rapidly to join the
Shriya before entering the Bd6 plain not far from Goba. This moorland re-
sembles nothing more than a Scottish moor, and the similarity was increased on
our return journey on 20 April 1958 when we ran into thick mist which reduced
visibility to fifty yards, while coveys of heavy mountain francolin kept rising
like packs of grouse at our feet as we trekked through the gloom.
On my first journey we marched from Angbu to Rira in one day, arriving
after dark. But then I did not know the region and had not arranged to camp
on the plateau. And, of course, it took much longer to reach our destination
than our guide had predicted. He was mounted on a fast riding mule, while our
caravan of miserable animals had to struggle along with loads which were
continuously coming loose and causing delays. On the return march to Goba
we halted for one night on the plateau at 4150 m. but shortage of supplies and
fuel forced us to cut short our stay. In December 1959 I was able to make a
more satisfactory plan. I took an ample supply of firewood from Angiisu
and was able to camp a t BBtu and on the higher plateau a t the foot of Mt
Dimtu, spending four days and three nights in the area.
Leaving the moorland, which is well watered by many streams and flushes,
the track follows the right bank of the Togijna valley. This holds a fine stream
with a rapid fall, flowing in a deep rocky gorge below the mule track, which is
rough but nowhere very steep or difficult and passes through some fine, wild.
rather grim scenery. The vegetation consists mainly of gssta, the Giant Heath,
and everlastings (Helichrysum spp.), the former seldom more than two metres
high. Old stumps of large size provide ample proof of the existance of Erica
forest in the not very remote past. The Giant Lobelia (L. rhynchopetahm) was
now becoming increasingly abundant at 3650 m., imparting a somewhat spectral
appearance to the already bleak, stony landscape. Eventually, the valley
opened out into a shallow, saucer-shaped water meadow a t 4050m. This is
Britu (39"47' E.: 6" 55' N.) and the source of the Tog5na river. Close by is the
peak shown on the map as BBtu ; but our guide, the Baliibiit, who ought to
know, assured me that the correct name of the peak is ' Saneti ' and that Britu is
the name for the locality, including the mountain.
When visiting this area for the second time, I camped a t B2tu for two nights
and climbed the peak. Close by the camp is a small stream which froze over a t
night ; and the depression adjacent to it forms a marsh or shallow lake after
rain. This depression was covered with water in April but was almost dry in
December. Swertia unifora was found growing in some abundance in this wet
ground. A herd of small mountain cattle was watering a t BBtu on December 16
but moved off on to higher ground soon after our arrival, where presumably they
spent the night at around 4100 m. together with their herdsmen. The water is
said to have mineral properties and I saw some deposits of alkali salts. My
diary for 16 December records : full moon, clear sky, no wind, minimum temper-
ature 1" C.
The climb to the summit of Saneti is not difficult and can be accomplished in
about an hour from the camp. A mule can be taken up to within about 100 m.
of the top after which there is some easy rock climbing. Progress is slow, as
it is everywhere on the plateau, owing to the ground being riddled with the
burrows of tukas or folfol, a rodent superficially resembling a marmot, of which
I shot a couple for identification. The animal is almost certainly Aruicanthus
abyssinicus Ruppell. It occurs in quite incredible numbers in these moun-
tains.
It was a beautifully clear day when I climbed Saneti peak in December with
excellent visibility so that I was able to take compass bearings on the other two
peaks, Dimtu and Tigrita, without difficulty. I made its height to be 14,200 ft.
138 PROCEEDINGS OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON p74,
and 4315 m. by my two altimeters, which corresponds closely enough with the
map readings of 14,171 ft and 4307 metres.
I saw what appeared to be the remains of small terminal moraines in two of
the ravines descending into the Bltu marsh. They may date from the last
Makalian wet phase of the Pleistocene but I am not sufficient of a glaciologist
to be certain of this. I also found strong evidence of glaciation in the steep
gorge above Rira, and I am sure the T o g h a valley will yield concrete evidence
of older and more severe glaciation when a geologist has time to examine
it.
As far as I could ascertain snow does not fall in these mountains but severe
hailstorms occur and the hailstones sometimes lie on the ground for a few days.
The second night at Bltu was decidedly cold, the thermometer registering -9" C.
under the fly of my tent.
A mile or so beyond BHtu camp we climbed on to an extensive plateau a t 4100
metres. From this point the Dimtu and Tigrita peaks were clearly visible.
On the first occasion, we had a quick snack here and pushed on to Rira-a long
and tiring day. Next time we were able t o proceed in a more leisurely fashion.
Sending my caravan along the track to camp in the shelter of some large rocks,
where I had spent a night on the return journey in April 1958, I digressed to
climb Mt Dimtu, which is a mountain with two gently rounded peaks. It is
certainly not a difficult climb. In fact, it would be quite possible to take a mule
to the top had one a mind to do so.
Again, it was a beautifully clear day and the view from the summit was superb.
Mt Saneti and Mt Tigrita stood out clearly only a few miles distant, while away
to the southwest Mts KHkZ and Encuolo could be seen distinctly although a t
least sixty miles distant. Bearings were again taken on the main peaks.
Situated between the three peaks is a gently undulating plain, which I shall call
the Saneti plain, it holds several small pans or shallow lakes, which are probably
only seasonal, as must be more than 50 square miles in area.
Altimeter readings for the higher of the two peaks of Mt Dimtu were 14,475 ft
and 4450 m. (14,600ft) by two separate altimeters. The mean of the two would
therefore be 14,537 ft or 4433 metres. These measurements are only fractionally
higher than those obtained in April 1958 ; so it would perhaps be safest for the
time being to give the height of Mt Dimtu as 14,537 f50 ft or 4433 f 15 metres.
This suffices to establish it as the highest peak in these mountains and in
southern Ethiopia.
By the time I rejoined the caravan I found the party sheltering under the lee
of some large rocks where I had planned to camp. It was extremely cold here
both in April and December, even during the daytime. It was fortunate,
therefore, that I had brought a good supply of firewood. The muleteers,
however, complained that there was no proper grazing for their animals and that
nobody ever halted on this high plateau but marched straight across it to Rira,
as we had done in 1958. Admittedly, the ground was almost completely
bare of herbage, which may have been due, at least to some extent, to the
immense rodent population. I t consists chiefly of Giant Lobelias and scattered
clumps of Helichrysums. Two interesting plants were collected at this camp :
a new species of Euryops ( E .prostratus Nordenstam n. sp.) and an Erigerolz which
may also prove to be new.
This plateau appears to lie above the main cloud concentration and therefore
most probably gets a rainfall of less than 800 mm. The vegetation between
3950 m. and 4250 m. is of the High Mountain Steppe type, above which is
High Mountain Scree up to the summit. A few Erica arborea were observed
in a ravine at 4150 m., which must be the ultimate limit of this plant. On the
summit of Mt Dimtu, where the rock is trachyte, very slatey and weathered,
the only plants collected were Arabis cmeifolia, a new species of Helichryszlm
1961-621 TWO JOURNEYS TO THE ARAENNA MOUNTAINS 139
near H. newii, Thlaspi oliveri and Anthemis tigreensis ; Pimpilzella oreophila
was quite abundant on the scree slopes a short distance below.
Animal life is not abundant at this altitude, apart from the incredible
number of rodents called fol$oZ in Amharic and tuka in the Galla language. On
three occasions I observed the long-legged, red, mountain fox (Siemia simensis
ciierlzii), which is only found at very high altitudes in the East African moun-
tains ; and I was fortunate to have a fine view of six Mountain Nyala on the
summit of Mt Tigrita. This grand animal, which bears a superficial likeness
to the greater Kudu, is found only in the higher mountains of southern Ethiopia
where it is, alas, becoming increasingly rare.
The minimum temperature recorded at this camp on 18 December was -6"
C., while on the night of 19 April the minimum was +3" C. It seems probable,
therefore, that frost occurs at this elevation on many nights of the year. Dense
mists are also common at all times, especially in the early morning and late
afternoon.
From this camp I climbed Mt Tigrita, the third of the peaks rising from this
plateau. The ascent is very gentle and took us about two hours slow going
from our base. The mean of two altimeter readings make the summit 4302 m.
or 14,104 ft. On the summit the interesting little stonecrop, Sedum crassdaria
was collected.
December 19 was a fine, clear morning with hoar frost on the ground as we
started the descent of some 850 m. to Rira. On the way down there are some
magnificent views of the Rira valley and cliffs below Mt Tigrita, provided they
are not obscured by mist as is so often the case. Rira village, which consists of
about forty homesteads, covers an area of at least 5000 acres between 2750 and
3300 metres, which is rather lower than would appear from the map. It is
situated in the wide, well-watered valley of the Rira river and is walled in on the
east, south and west by a huge amphitheatre of great bluffs and precipices
which culminate in Mt Tigrita. In spite of a fertile soil, adequate rainfall and
ample water, which could be used for irrigation, there does not seem to be any
cultivation. I was assured by the Baliibiit that this was so, and he informed me
that his people were entirely pastoral, depending for their livelihood on the small
cattle and sheep which they graze on the extensive mountain pastures. They
are Moslem Gallas, and on both occasions we found them suspicious and un-
friendly. This was also the case in many of the villages we passed through
further south on our way to Dallo during the second journey. As most of these
villages do not seem to keep fowls, no eggs were available, but there was always
a plentiful supply of milk.
On both trips I halted for a couple of days a t Rira to rest the animals, dry
plants and explore the locality. This valley must formerly have been covered
in forest of kosso, Rapanea melanophloeos, Hypericum lalzceolatum and the Giant
Heath, remains of which are still to be seen especially in some of the more
inaccessible glens. Natchilo (Helichrysum citrispilzum) is very abundant down
to about 3000 m. and much of the pasture is infested by it. Blaeria spicata,
which looks very much like Calluna, and Corydalis milbraedii were collected here
in December. In April 1958 we had much rain and the mountains above 3500 m.
were completely hidden in cloud for most of the time but on 21/22 December
1959 conditions were much more favourable. I spent one day exploring the
steep, rocky glen from which the main torrent of the Rira river debouches below
Mt Tigrita. This excursion yielded a number of interesting plants and an example
of what appears to be a terminal moraine. This is just above 3350 m. and may
have been the lowest point reached by the glacier while the permanent snow-
fields would have been 300-400 m. or more higher up the mountain. The mini-
mum temperatures recorded at Rira were -1.5" and -4" C.
From Rira we dropped down to the little hamlet of Ordobba (' Oddoba ' on
140 PROCEEDINGS OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON P74,
the map) at 1980 m. in five hours, passing a still smaller cluster of huts a t Kacha
on the way, and camped in a pleasant grassy glade in the forest. This little
clearing is no more than five acres in extent and contains a small, rushy marsh.
The descent from our camp at Rira was over 1200 m. but the mule track is quite
good. It is evident that these mountain trails are much used despite the sparse
population, and it would be misleading to describe this wild and little known
region as trackless, though admittedly the tracks are few and rough. My
muleteers were evidently well acquainted with the area and told me that these
paths were used at all times of year by merchants taking flour and salt to villages .
in the interior in exchange for honey, which they take back to Goba.
Shortly after leaving Rira we found ourselves in forest at 3100 m. consisting
mostly of kosso, Rapalzea simelzsis, Scheflera abyssilzica and the mountain
bamboo, Arulzdilzaria alpilza, all heavily draped in mosses and a variety of
epiphytes among which the beautiful Calzarilza emilzii was much in evidence in
April. The composition of the forest here is similar to that on the ascent from
Goba to AngBsu, except for the remarkable absence of the juniper, which was
nowhere seen on this side of the mountains.
The map gives no indication of habitations within fifty miles of Rira but signs
of former clearings are fairly abundant and, from what I saw further on towards
Dallo, I am convinced that there was formerly a larger population in these
parts, possibly seventy or eighty years ago. The decline may have been due
to the Galla wars of that time or to epidemics among the people or cattle.
The inhabitants of Ordobba cultivate a small patch close to their huts in
which they raise emet (Ensete velztricosum (Welw.) Cheesman), a little castor,
a few coffee bushes, some Colocasia alztiquorum, maize and Sorghum. Their
principal source of livelihood is semi-wild honey, which they collect in drum-
shaped hives tied up in the branches of trees, Polyscias ferrugilzea being the most
favoured for the purpose.

COUNTRYSOUTHOF THE MAIN RANGE

At Ordobba both Podocarpus gracilior and guracha or kararo (Alzilzgeria
adolji-friederici) were seen. This is, in fact, the beginning of a vast forest
extending for many miles south and west into Sidfuno in which these two
valuable trees are abundant.
In April 1958 I halted a day at Ordobba and then returned through Rira and
AngBsu to Goba, stopping for one night on the plateau to climb Mt Dimtu.
On that occasion I had to curtail my trip as my escort and the muleteers (who
never seem to carry provisions with them) ran short of supplies and nothing was
obtainable at Ordobba or Rira. In December 1959, I continued south from
Ordobba and reached Dallo in three marches, passing through some fine Podo-
carpus forest on the way. Dallo is a district headquarters and is situated on the
YBdiit river, a fine, wide, crystal-clear tributary of the Gand6 Doria. Close
by, on the opposite bank of the river, is Mgsno (' Masslo ' on the map), which
was an outpost during the Italian occupation. There is an airstrip about two
hours march from Dallo with three flights a week from Addis Ababa.
The country between Ordobba and Dallo and further westwards into SidBmo,
which forms the wide upper catchment of the G a d 6 Doria, is for the most part
level or undulating with few strong features. The general altitude is about
1800 metres. The Gang16 Doria is a river of some importance and carries a
large volume of water during the rainy season. It becomes the Juba after its
junction with the DBua P h a at Doll0 on the frontier of the Somali Republic.
The area is densely forested for the most part and well watered. Much of the
forest, however, is second-growth owing to former occupation and there are
many grassy clearings, most of them containing some marshy ground. The
1961-621 TWO JOURNEYS TO THE ARAENNA MOUNTAINS 141
sparse population is very primitive and entirely pastoral. Money appears t o
have little value here but empty bottles are much appreciated and preferred to
cash. At Adeyeh (not marked on the map), the headman approached me and
asked if I would visit his village to look a t his crops and advise him what to
grow as his people had started cultivation only three years previously. This
was interesting as it indicates that there is a tendency, however small, to break
away from a purely pastoral economy. Bee-keeping is still very important
here and I was informed that some families maintain over one hundred hives.
The honey is used locally for sweetening, as sugar is unobtainable or too ex-
pensive, and much of it is exported into S i d h o province and even as far as
Addis Ababa for the manufacture of fej, the local mead.
In these marshy clearings we were pestered by small flies, which appeared in
swarms towards evening. They arrived in clouds about 5.30 p.m., making life
unpleasant for an hour or more, and then disappeared as suddenly as they had
come.
On Christmas Day 1959 I reached Dallo, passing quite suddenly out of the
moist evergreen Podocarpus-Aningeria forest into very dry, open, low bush of
the Terminalia-Combretum-Piliostigma-Syzygium type on a red, gritty clay.
The transition is abrupt, suggestive of a geological change. This is probably
the case for, although the rocks are still volcanic, they contain a high proportion
of vein quartz, which yields a poor, dry infertile soil.
The course of the Rira river, which is a stream of some size with a strong
current, is wrongly shown on the 1:500,000 map. As already mentioned, it
rises below Mt Tigrita, flows through the lands of Rira village and descends
rapidly to Ordobba, 1200 m. below. The map then shows it turning eastwards
towards Berberi, many miles north of Dallo. In fact, it flows south from Rira,
through Ordobba and finally passes well south of Dallo on its way to join the
Gand6 Dona.
From Dallo we turned towards the west and after about three hours regained
the evergreen forest at a small clearing called Helgol. Here we found large
areas of first class Podocarpus forest being felled to make way for coffee planta-
tions. One could not reasonably object to this if the coffee was being properly
cultivated but, as is commonly the case, it receives no attention and is soon
smothered and lost in a sea of weeds, so that the bushes take on the shape of
broomsticks and yield a poor crop of berries. But this is the unfortunate
pattern over most of the country where forests are still to be found : valuable
forest giving way before the onslaught of shifting cultivation, haphazard coffee
planting and low-grade agriculture.
During a week's marching at these lower altitudes remarkably little game
was seen. One leopard, two or three bush-buck, numerous baboons and Colobus
monkeys completed the short list. The beautiful Colobus is still a common sight
in many parts of southern and western Ethiopia but how long it will remain so is
another matter since hundreds of skins can be bought any day in the market a t
Addis Ababa, in spite of the fact that the animal is supposed to be ' protected '.
The map is quite useless in this region and our next two marches were made
by compass with ' Suca ' as our objective. Although the map showed this village
with several tracks radiating from it so that it seemed to be of some importance,
nobody appeared to have heard of it, and when we eventually got there we
discovered that it was generally known by the name of Bulluk. After some
cross-questioning of the villagers and local police, it eventually transpired that
Shiika (not Suca) and Bulluk were one and the same, Bulluk-the name more
commonly in use-being the name of the locality and Shiika that of the village,
This was not an isolated case but one of several where we found the map, Sheet
NB-37/2, unreliable not only in regard to contours, which are completely mis-
leading, but in respect of place names. Local information is also not dependable.
PROC. LINN. SOC. LOND.. VOL. 174 m
142 PROCEEDINGS OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON P74,
During these marches we had some magnificent views looking back at the
Araenna ranges to the north and northwest with some remarkable rock pinnacles
towards their eastern extremity. This is, indeed, a most interesting and delight-
ful part of the country, little known and completely unspoiled. It has also
great possibilities for agricultural developjent with its rich soils, mild climate and
ample water resources. There are in addition large areas of potentially valuable
forest which should be conserved.
When leaving our camp in a forest glade near AngCtu, we were joined by a
young Galla woman with a donkey, a boy about seven and an infant, the last
slung on her back. She was travelling from AngEtu to Bulluk, a distance of
about eighteen miles through dense forest. She said she would like to travel
along with us and had no difficulty in keeping up despite her load. The small
boy found the march tiring, so we mounted him on one of the saddle ponies.
On reaching Bulluk we pitched camp in the bush close to the woman's tzckzcl,
and shortly afterwards she appeared with her husband bearing coffee and roasted
maize for our party. I mention this incident as it is unusual to find such
friendliness, especially in a Moslem Galla woman, in such a remote spot. They
are usually very shy and suspicious. We had some difficulty in locating a suit-
able camping ground here, the village lands being either hilly and covered in
bush or else swampy valley bottoms.
Bulluk or Shiika (1950 m.) consists of some forty to fifty homesteads spread
over a considerable area close to the boundary of Sidsmo province. It is
situated in a wide clearing amidst a vast fsrest, which stretches away towards
Adbla in Sidmo and consists of rolling parkland with patches of bush and forest
and numerous wet, rushy bottoms. These latter are usually fringed with
brakes of the local date-palm, zimbaba (Phoenix reclinata), and present an
altogether very pleasing feature of the landscape. The inhabitants were all
very friendly here, as were the police at this lonely outpost. Nevertheless, no
milk was to be had as all the cows were reported to be dry ; nor were there any
eggs, although there were plenty of fowl. Coffee is said to be grown but
none was seen, nor was any cultivation noticed, apart from small patches of
enset, maize, castor and gommen, the long-stalked cabbage, grown just around
the homesteads.
On New Year's Day 1960 we turned northwards and climbed to Fatcha
(2225 m.) through some remarkably fine karuro forest, many of the trees being
well over 35 m. tall. The march should only have taken six hours but the mule-
teers took a wrong path at the outset, which added an hour to our journey.
On the way we passed Arsuno (' Mca Arsuna ' on the map). This is an important
watering centre for cattle with a fine stream and some mineral springs. After
three hours through unbroken forest we reached the edge of Fatcha clearing.
All this 12-14 miles of valuable forest appears to be completely primeval and
untouched apart from the insignificant clearing at Arsiino.
It took us an hour to cross the immense clearing which holds the lands of
Fatcha village, a sub-district headquarters under Dodbla. The clearing must
cover at least 6000 acres of very beautiful, well watered, undulating parkland
and pasture with numerous homesteads nestling along its border in groves of
enset just inside the forest. There are wide stretches of excellent grassland in
which numerous herds of cattle and many horses were grazing. The village is
said to contain three hundred families. The main valley is very wide, sloping
southwards the Gang16 Doria, of which the Fatcha basin forms one of the more
important headwater catchments. Again, apart from enset andsome small patches
of barley around the tukwls, there was little sign of cultivation. We reached
our camping ground at 4.45 p.m., having been exactly seven hours on the move.
Everyone here was most friendly and I was promised a guide for the next
march.
1961-621 TWO JOURNEYS TO THE ARAENNA MOUNTAINS 143
CROSSINGTHE RANGEBY THE B I R O LPASS ~ TO D ~ D ~ L A
The fringe of the forest around the village was, as might be expected, largely
populated with secondary forest of quick-growing species among which Scheflera
abyssilzica, Croton macrostachys and Erythvilza brucei were conspicuous, the last
named now in full flower covered with its striking vermilion blossoms. Further
up the slopes, commencing at about 2300 m. and extending up to 2900 m. is by
far the largest forest of the karkaha or hill bamboo (Arumharia aleirta) that I
have seen in Ethiopia. I did not have time to make a survey of its extent but
it must cover many thousands of acres.
On 2 January we left camp at 10 a.m.-it is difficult to get started any
earlier in Ethiopia-and climbed steadily for three hours through dense montane
forest which, apart from the bamboos, contained nothing of value. This was a
severe climb of some 700 metres by a difficult mule track, and the pack animals
were in a pretty sorry condition when we eventually halted a t the tiny hamlet of
Goromti : a curious little clearing in a shallow, well-watered valley at 2900 m.
entirely surrounded by dense forest of Giant Heath and bamboo. It was in this
valley that Polygolzum afvomontalzumwas found growing in a small rocky glen-
the first record for Ethiopia. It was again found in abundance in the adjoining
valley next day. The night temperature at this camp fell to freezing point.
After five hours strenuous marching next day we reached the BirolC Pass
(3240 m.) and camped on the Gadab or Diid6la side of the main range. We
passed through several large clearings on this march, most of them shallow,
well watered valleys containing very rough pasture and surrounded by hills
covered in heath and bamboos. These mountain villages are very sparsely
inhabited and contain no cultivation. For instance, the two clearings belonging
to Goromti must cover 1000 if not 1500 acres, yet there were not more than five
or six families in all. The next hamlet of Hog6 was much the same. A light
shower of rain started shortly after we had pitched camp at BirolC and lasted
an hour or so. This was the only rain we experienced during the whole of the
second journey in December 1959 and January 1960.
The last two marches had been a bit too much for our ponies, one of which had
gone lame at Goromti. Now another was on the sick list. Fortunately we
were on the Dbd6la side of the watershed with no more climbing in front of us.
The loads were redistributed and one of the riding mules given a load.
The settlement or clearing of BirolC is a very wide shallow valley at 3140 m.
and, like so many others, entirely given over to pasture. The surrounding hills
rise to 3700 m. and are rather patchily covered in Hagertia-Erica-Hypericum
forest. The kosso tree, now in flower, is abundant on this, the north side of the
pass but there were no bamboos.
From here onwards the forest began to thin out and we encountered more
and larger clearings. We also began to meet travellers returning from the
market at D6dbla to their homes in the mountains. With two sick ponies and
the remainder fairly tired, we camped a t Tiniso, an attractively situated village
in kosso-juniper parkland at just 3000 m. An interesting plant, Conyza spirtosa
was found in some abundance growing in rough pasture along the edge of the
forest. The minimum temperature here was 1.5" C.
I had intended to descend the escarpment and reach D6d6la next day as it
was only about five hours distant. We had, however, scarcely reached the
bottom when it became obvious that we would have to curtail our march on
account of the two sick ponies, which were making poor progress. So, after two
hours and a half I called a halt and pitched camp by a pleasant stream in an open
piece of juniper forest at Bura. Shortly afterwards news came that one of the
ponies had died on the road.
Now we were back in comparative civilization. While there was much
woodland, there was also good cultivation ; and crops of wheat and barley were
144 PROCEEDINGS OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON r174,
in process of being reaped. This is a remarkably fine piece of country and there
is no doubt that it could be greatly developed by a well integrated economy
comprising improved agriculture, livestock, dairying and forestry. There are
also several good streams which could be utilized for irrigation.
On 6 January we reached Gadab, which is the local name for Dbdda, after a
hot march mostly through cultivated fields. This is a large village with a popula-
tion of perhaps 2000 and is a district headquarters. It is visited by the air
service from Addis Ababa to Goba once a week. The Governor, Fitarauri
Wolde Mikael Bhui, who is also the local Bal5b5t or Chieftain, is an imposing
figure. I had met him at Goba but now he was away from his headquarters.
His secretary, Ato Tadessa Abdi, proved very friendly and helpful and insisted
on entertaining me to dinner in the evening.

ENDOF THE JOURNEY

Next day was spent examining some juniper forests on the escarpment behind
the town and on January 8 we moved on to Adsba, a hot march of about fifteen
miles along the plain of the Webi Shebelli. From Ad5ba I despatched my
driver-interpreter, Tadessa, by air to Addis Ababa to bring out my Land-
Rover, which met us at the ford over the Webi Shebelli three days later and
took us back to Addis Ababa where we arrived on 13 January.
These two journeys covered what is still one of the least known parts of
Ethiopia and the highest ground in the south of the country. There is, of
course, much scope for more detailed exploration and plant collecting, especially
during the rainy season. It would, for example, be interesting to approach the
the region from the direction of Irgallem, the chief town of Sid-o, or to enter
the BHtu massif from AdHba, neither of which routes have been used. That
there are three peaks over 4300 m. in the BHtu group of the Araenna mountains
is now clearly established. The highest. of these is Mt Dimtu which I estimate
to be 4433 f 15 metres. I believe this to be a conservative figure and that the
correct height may well prove to be 4450 m. when more accurate observations
come to be made.
From these measurements it would appear that the BHtu group (not indi-
vidual peaks) ranks fifth among the mountains of East Africa. Other high
peaks are Kilimanjaro 19,340 ft (5898 m.), Kenya 17,040 ft (5197 m.), Ruwen-
zori 16,794 ft (5121 m.), Ras Dejien in the Semien mountains of northern
Ethiopia 15,154 ft (4623 m.) and Mt Elgon 14,372 ft (4384 m.).
I have added a list of plants collected above 3000 m. in the Araenna moun-
tains during these two journeys and, as a matter of further interest, lists from
some of the other high mountains in southern Ethiopia such as Mts K5kZ and
Chi1510 in Arussi, not far removed from the Araenna mountains, and from Kundi
and Goshmeda near Debra Berhgn on the northern side of the Rift Valley about
IOO miles northeast of Addis Ababa.

PERSONAL ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I n the first place, I wish to thank the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens,
Kew, and his staff for the interest they have shown in my collection of Ethiopian
plants and for the trouble they have taken to furnish quick determination of
plants sent to them. In this respect I should like to express my particular
appreciation of the help I have always received from Mr J. B. Gillett of the
African Department.
I am grateful to Dr Lucien Matte, President of University College, Addis
Ababa, for his unfailing support over several years, which encouraged me to
build up the collection of plants which led to the foundation and constituted the
nucleus of the National Herbarium at Addis Ababa.
1961-623 TWO JOURNEYS TO THE ARAENNA MOUNTAINS 145
1 should like to acknowledge the help and hospitality extended to me at
Goba by Ganyajmach Mamu Saiyum, the Vice-Governor of BaC, on my first
visit and to his successor, Ato Ashagari Abozin, who took much trouble on my
second trip to expedite the procurement of my transport.
Finally, I should like to thank Sir Denis Wright, K.C.M.G., British Ambas-
sador at Addis Ababa, and his predecessors for their interest and co-operation,
which made possible my numerous expeditions into the interior of the country.

RE FERENcEs
BUSK,D. L. 1957. The Fountain of the Su%. Unfinished journeys in Ethiopia and the
Ruwenzori. Parrish. London.
Du BOURG DE BOZAS.1906. De la Mer Rouge d l'dtlantique cl travers 1'AfriqUe trogwcale
(1901-03). F. R. de Rudeval, Paris.
ABRUZZI,L. A..DUCADEGLI. 1932. L a esplorazione dello Uabi-Uebi Scebeli (1928-29).
A. Mondadori, Milan.
ERLANGER & NEUMANN.1904. Bericht uber meine Expedition in Nordost-Afrika in den
Jahren 1899-1901. Z . Ges. Erdl., Berlin.
HODSON, A. W. 1927. (Ed. by C. L. Leese). Seven Years in Southern Abyssinia. Fisher
Unwin, London.
PICHI-SERMOLLI,R. E. G. 1957. Una Carta Geobotanica dell'Africa Orientale (Eritrea,
Etiouia. Somalia). Webbia. XIII. 1. Istituto Botanic0 dell'Universita. Florence.
SCOTT,HUGH.. 1952. 'Journey to the GughB Highlands (Southern Ethiopia) 194849 ;
biogeographical Research at high altitudes. Proc. Linn. SOC.Lond.. 163 : 85-189.
-1958. Biogeographical Research in High Simien (Northern Ethiopia), 1952-53.
Proc. Linn. Soc., Lond., 170 : 1-91.

A LISTOF PLANTS COLLECTED ABOVE 3000 METRES

IN THE ARAENNA MOUNTAINS
Acanthus sennii Chiov., No. 7261.
Agrostis keniensis Pilger, No. 7275.
Agrostis milbraedii Pilger, No. 8512.
Agrostis quinqueseta (Steud.) Hochst., No. 8355.
Agrostis sclerophylla C. E. Hubbard, No. 8333.
Aira caryophylla L., Nos. 8321, 8352.
-4juga remota Benth., No. 7264.
Alchemilla ?abyssinica Fresen., No. 7140.
Alchemilla ellmbeckii Engl. ssp. ellenbeckii, forma., No. 7123.
Alchemilla jscheri Engl., No. 8376.
Alchemilla johmtonii Oliv., No. 7149.
Alchemilla rothii Oliv., Nos. 7118, 7125.
Alopecurus sp., No. 7276.
Anagallis serpens Hochst. ex DC. ssp. serpens, Nos. 7146, 7172.
Andropogon amethystinus Steud., No. 7181.
Andropogon pratensis Hochst., Nos. 8322, 8324.
Andropogon sp., No. 7191.
Anemone thompsonii O h . , No. 7152.
Anthemis tigreensis G. Gay ex A. Rich., No. 7254.
Arabis cuneifolia Hochst., ex A. Rich. No. 7117.
Arisaema enneaphyllum Hochst, ex A. Rich., No. 7228.
Arisaema sp. ?nov.. No. 7138.
Arundinaria alpina K. Schum.
Astragalus atropilosus (Hochst.) Bunge, ssp. atropilosus. var. momteyi Gillett
ined., No. 8368.
Barbarea ?intermedia Boreau, No. 7170.
Bartsia petitiana (A. Rich.) Hemsl., No. 8304.
Blaeria spicata Hochst. ex A. Rich., No. 8378.
146 PROCEEDINGS OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON L174,
Bromus cognatus Steud., No. 8309.
Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medic., No. 7145.
Cardamine hirsuta L., NO.8313.
Carduus ellenbeckii R. E. Fries, No. 8516.
Carex cmferta Hochst. ex A. Rich., No. 7151.
Carex monostachya A. Rich, Nos. 7150, 7239.
Carduus sp., No. 8298.
Centauria varians A. Rich. , No. 7262.
Cephalaria acaulis Steud., No. 8343.
Cerastium afrommtanum Fries & Weim., No. 7134A.
Cerastium i d i c u m Wight & Am., No. 8312.
Cerastium octandrum Hochst. ex A. Rich., No. 7187.
Cineraria abyssinica Sch.-Bip., No. 7240.
Cineraria grandifEora Vatke, No. 8328.
Cmyza spinosa Sch.-Bip., No. 8522.
Conyza stricta Willd., No. 7176.
Conyza theodori R. E. Fries, No. 7183.
Conyza tigreensis Oliv. et Hiern., No. 7265.
Conyza variegata Sch-Bip., No. 7154.
Convolvulus kilimandschari Engl., No. 7260.
Coydalis milbraedii Fedde, No. 8364.
Cotula abyssinica Sch.-Bip., ex A. Rich. No. 8349.
Crassocephalum vitellinum (Benth.) S. Moore, No. 8381.
Crassula alsinoides (Hook. f.) Engl., No. 7195.
Craterostigma p u m i h s Hochst., Nos. 7272, 7273.
Crepis carbmarii Sch.-Bip., No. 7182.
Cyperus platycaulis Baker, var. lucenti nigricans (K. Schum.) Kuk, No. 7224.
Crepis ellenbeckii R. E. Fries, No. 7233.
Crepis rueppellii Sch.-Bip., No. 7182A.
Deschampsia caespitosa (L.)Beauv. var. latifolia (Hochst). Dur. & Sch., No. 8326
Deschampsia jlexuosa Trin. var. afromontana C. E. Hubbard, Nos. 8320, 8372.
Dicrocephala integrifolia (Linn. f.) Kuntze, No. 7160.
Dipsacus pinnutifidus Steud., No. 8305.
EchiHops steudneri 0. Hoffm., No. 8377.
Erica arborea L. Observed but not collected.
Erigeron alpinum L. s. lat., forma, vel. sp. nov. aff., Nos. 7169, 7189, 7242, 8339,
8367 (cf. 5284).
Eriocaulm schimperi Koern. ex Engl. forma., Nos. 7143, 7196. 7245.
Euphorbia depauperata Hochst, var. PubifEora R. Br., No. 7124.
Euryops prostrata Nordenstam, n. sp., Nos. 7168, 7241, 8337.
Ferula communis L., No. 7271.
Festuca rigidula Steud., NOS.8514, 8373A.
Festuca sp., No. 7190.
Galium scabrellum K. Schum., No. 7177.
Geranium simense A. Rich., No. 7155.
Habmaria decorata Hochst. ex A. Rich., No. 7232.
Hagenia abyssinica (Bruce) J . F. Gmel., No. 8380.
HaPlocarfiha ruppellii (Sch. Bip.) Beauverd, syn. Landtia rueppellii (Sch.
Bip.) Benth. et Hook. f. ex Oliv., No. 7166.
Hebensdretia dentata L., No. 7171.
HelichrysHm cidrispinum DeC var. citrispinum, Nos. 7142, 8331.
Helichrysum citrispimm Del. var. aff. armatum (Mattf.) 0. Hedb. No. 7250.
Helichrysum cymosum (L.) Less. ssp. fruticosum (Forssk.) 0. Hedb., Nos. 7193,
7251, 8347, 8362.
Helichrysum declinatum (L.) Less., No. 7263.
1961-621 TWO JOURNEYS TO THE ARAENNA MOUNTAINS 147
HelichrysumformosissimumSch.-Blp. ex A. Rich. var. formosissimum, Nos. 7186,
8346, 8363.
Helichrysum globosum Sch.-Bip., Nos. 7185, 7243, 8335, 8361.
Helichrysum odoratissimum (L.) Less., No. 8351.
Helichrysum schimperi (Sch.-Bip.) Moeser, No. 8296.
Helichrysum splelzdidum (Thunb.) Less., Nos. 7175, 7243, 8335, 8361.
Helichrysum sp. nov. aff. H . newii Oliv. et Hiern. , No. 7253.
Helichrysum sp. nov., No. 7167 (cf. 5195, 5266).
Helichrysum sp., Nos. 8317, 8318, 8374, 8503.
Heracleum elgmelzse (Wolff) Bullock, Nos. 7148, 7249.
Hypericum lalzceolatum Lam. No. 7114.
Hypericum peplidifolium A. Rich., No. 8295.
Ilex mitis (L.) Radlk., No. 8501.
Impatielzs abyssilzica Hook. f., No. 7227.
Impatielzs rothii Hook. f., No. 7226.
Julzcus dregealzus Kunth, No. 7147.
Julzcus eflusus L., Nos. 7274, 7278.
Julzcus oxycarpus E. Mey ex Kunth, No. 7268.
Julziperus procera Hochst. ex Engl., Observed but not collected.
Koeleria cristata (L.) Pers. var. cmvoluta (Hochst. ex Steud.) C. E. Hubbard,
Nos. 7255, 8373.
Limosella macrantha R. E. Fries, No. 7256.
Lithospermum afromontalzum H. Weim., No. 7266.
Lobelia milzutulata Engl., No. 7133.
Lobelia rhynchopetalum (Hochst. Hemsl., Nos. 7247, 7267.
Lobelia scebelii Chiov., No. 7194.
Lotus goetzii Harms, No. 8345.
Luzula johlzstonii Buch.-Ham., No. 7164.
Lycopodium saururus Lam., Nos. 7229, 7259.
Lythrum rotulzdifolium Hochst. ex A. Rich., No. 7178.
Merendra abyssilzica A. Rich., No. 7116.
Microglossa delzsifora Hook. f., No. 8502
Micromeria bifora (Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don) Benth., No. 7120.
Myosotis vestergrelzii Stroh., No. 7163.
Nillorella arborea R. Fries ex O h . , No. 8510.
Parochetis communis Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don, Nos. 7135, 8306.
Pennisetum sp., No. 7141.
Pelzlaschistis pictigluma (Steud.) Pilger, Nos. 8323, 8338, 8511.
Pimpinella oreophila Hook. f., Nos. 7162, 8292, 8307, 8369.
Poa alznua L., No. 8301.
Poa leptoclada Hochst. , Nos. 8316, 8513.
Poa sp. aff. P. oligalztha Hochst., No. 8517.
Poa sp., Nos. 8322A, 8356.
Polygala steudelzeri Chod., No. 7141.
Polygolzzlm afrommtanum Greenway, No. 8505.
Polystichium maglzijicum Bullard, No. 7192.
Potentilla hispalzcia Zimmet, No. 7122.
Ralzulzculus aquatilis L. agg., No. 8327.
Ralzwnculus multijidus Forssk. (high altitude form), No. 7173.
Ranulzculus staglzalis Hochst. ex A. Rich., No. 7257.
Rapanea melalzophloeos (L.) Mez. s.I., No. 8358.
Rorripa islalzdica (Oed. ex Murr.) Borb., No. 7277.
Rubus volkelzsii Engl., Nos. 8302, 8357.
Salvia merjamie Forssk. var. lzubia (Murray) Baker, No. 7179.
Satureja simelzsis (Benth.) Briq., Nos. 7121, 7180.
148 PROCEEDINGS OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON [174,
Schflera uolkensii (Harms ex Engl.) Harms, No. 7259.
Scirpzls costatus Hochst. ex A. Rich., Nos. 7121, 7180.
Scirpus brachyceras Hochst. ex A. Rich., No. 7216.
Sebaea brachyphylla Griseb., No. 7174.
Sedum churchillialzum Robyns et Boutique, No. 7119.
Sedum crassularia Raymond-Hamet, syn. S. sediforme (Schweinf .) Raymond-
Hamet non Pau, No. 8341.
Sedum mereyi-johamis Engl., No. 7156.
Senecio rhamnatophyllzcs Mattf., Nos. 7238, 8344.
Smecio Sschultzii Hochst. ex A. Rich., No. 8332A.
Smecio stolzii Mattf.. No. 8311.
Senecio subsessilis Oliv., No. 8315.
Senecio sp. ?nov., No. 8332.
Senecio sp., Nos. 7115, 7231, 7235, 8311, 8299.
Stachys alpigena T. C. E. Fries, No. 7139.
Streblochaete longiaristata (A. Rich.) Pilger, No. 8371.
Subularia monticola A. Br., No. 7246.
Swertia schimperi Griseb., No. 8303.
Swertia wijlora Steud. ex A. Rich., No. 8325.
Swertia sp., No. 7248.
Tacazzea gakzctagoga Bullock, No. 7230.
Thlaspi oliveri Engl., Nos. 7252, 8342.
Trachydium abyssilzicum (Hochst.) Hiern, No. 7144.
Trifolizcm acaule Steud. ex A. Rich., No. 8334.
Trifolium burchellianum Ser. var. johstonii (Oliv.) Gillett, No. 7237.
Trijolizcm rueppellianum Fresen., No. 8385.
Trifolium semipilosum Fresen., No. 8300.
Umbilicus botryoides Hochst. ex A. Rich., No. 8329.
Urtica simemis (Hochst.) Hiern., No. 7144.
Veronica glarzdzclosa Hochst. ex Benth., Nos. 7158, 7159, 7244
Wahlenbergia pusila Hochst. ex A. Rich., No. 7157.

LISTOF PLANTS COLLECTED ABOVE 3000 METRES ON MT CHILALO AND

MT KAKAIN ARUSSIAND FROM KUNDIAND GOSHMEDA
NEAR DEBRA BERHAN IN SHOA.
MT CHILALO
Agrostis quilzqueseta (Steud.) Hochst., No. 5203.
Alchemilla spp. abundant but not in flower and not collected.
Alepidea pedwncularis Steud. ex A. Rich., No. 5165.
Andropogon pratemis Hochst. ex Hack., Nos. 5185, 5190, 5211.
Anthemis tigremsis J . Gay ex A. Rich., No. 5207.
Arthrixia rosmarilzifolia (Sch.-Bip. ex Walp.) Oliv. et Hiern, No. 5166.
Bartsia longiflora Hochst. ex Benth., No. 5196.
Bartsia sp. aff. B. abyssilzica Hochst. ex Benth., No. 5170.
Blaeria spicata Hochst. ex A. Rich., Nos. 5201, 5202.
Cineraria grandiflora Vatke, No. 5191.
Coleus edulis Vatke, No. 5164.
Crepis carbonarii Sch.-Bip., No. 5212.
Crepis rueppellii Sch.-Bip., No. 5213.
Cuscuta planiflora Tenore, No. 5181.
Deroemeria squamata (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Reichb. f., No. 5192.
Deschampsia jlexzcosa (L.) Trin. var. afromontana C. E. Hubbard, No. 5186.
Dipsaczcs pimatifidus Steud., Nos. 5163, 5171.
Erica arborea L., No. 5176.
1961-621 TWO JOURNEYS TO THE ARAENNA MOUNTAINS

Euphorbia wellbyii N. E. Br., No. 5184.

Exotheca abyssinica (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Anderss., No. 5182.
Haplocarpha rueppellii (Sch. Bip.) Beauverd, No. 5214.
Hebenstretia dentata L.
Helichrysum formosissimum Sch.-Bip. ex A. Rich., No. 5161.
Helichrysum fruticosum (Forssk.) Vatke, Nos. 5178, 5210.
Helichrysum odoratissimum (L.) Less., No. 5187.
Helichrysum splendidum (Thunb.) Less., Nos. 5188, 5198.
Helichrysum sp. nov., Nos. 5195, (cf. Nos. 5266, 7167.)
Helichrysum sp., Nos. 5187, 5189, 5195.
Lactuca capensis Thunb., No. 5179.
Lotus goetzii Harms, No. 5172.
Luzula johnstonii Buch-Ham., No. 5193.
Micromeria punctata (R. Br.) Benth., No. 5167.
NePeta sp., No. 5168.
Pentaschistis sp. aff. P. Pictigluma (Steud.) Pilger, No. 5204.
Pimpinella oreophila Hook. f., No. 5180.
Poa sp., No. 5197.
Polygala steudneri Chod., No. 5174.
Scabiosa columbaria L., Nos. 5162, 5183.
Senecio coronopifolius Desf., No. 5209.
Senecio ?schultzii Hochst., No. 5199.
Silene burchellii 0th. ex A. Rich. var., No. 5206.
Swertia schimperi Griseb., No. 5173.
Trifoliunz acaule Steud. ex A. Rich,, No 5200.

MT KAKA

Agrostis gracilifolia C. E. Hubbard, No. 5275.

Agrostis sp. aff. alpicola Hochst., No. 5188.
Alchemilla spp. abundant but not in flower and not collected.
Artthemis tigreelzsis J. Gay ex A. Rich., No. 5271.
Arabis cwneifolia Hochst. ex A. Rich., No. 5285.
Artemisia afra Jacq., No. 5255.
Blaeria spicata Hochst. ex A. Rich.
Bartsia lolzgiflora Hochst. ex Benth., No. 5258.
Carex molzostachya A. Rich., No. 5278.
Cineraria grandiflora Vatke, Nos. 5264, 5272.
Colzium maculatum L., No. 5248.
Cyathula Polycephala Bak., No. 5297.
Cynoglossum sp., No. 5259.
Deschampsiaflexuosa (L.) Trin. var. afrommtana C. E. Hubbard, No. 5261.
Eleusine floccifolia (Forssk.) Spreng., No. 5296.
Erica arborea L.
Erigerolz a l p i w s L. s. lat., forma, vel sp. nov., No. 5284 (cf. No. 7242).
Euphorbia wellbyii N. E. Br., No. 5247.
Galium sp., No. 5249.
Haplocarpha rueppellii (Sch. Bip.) Beauverd, Nos. 5280, 5291.
Helichrysum citrispinum Steud. ex A. Rich., Nos. 5277, 5287.
Helichrysum formosissimum Sch.-Bip. ex A. Rich., No. 5265.
Helichrysum schimperi Sch-Bip. ex A. Rich., Nos. 5251, 5256.
Helichrysum sp. nov., NO. 5266. (cf. 5195, 7167.)
Helichrysum sp., No. 5295.
Hypericum lanceolatum A. Rich., No. 5292.
I d a decipiens E. A. Bruce, No. 5257.
150 PROCEEDINGS OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON [I742
Juniperus procera Hochst. ex Engl. A few mulitated specimens up to 3200 m.
Koeleria cristata (L.) Pers. var. cmvoluta (Hochst.) C. E. Hubbard, Nos. 5274,
5279.
Linum strictum L., No. 5253.
Lobelia rhynchopetalum (Hochst.) Hemsl. Observed at 3650 m.
Luzula abyssinica Parl., No. 5276.
Micromeria pumtata (R. Br.) Benth., Nos. 5293, 5294.
Pentachistis pictigluma (Steud.) Pilger, Nos. 5282, 5289.
Smecio ?schultzii Sch.-Bip., No. 5281.
Senecio trichopterygius Muschel. syn. S. dertticulata DC., No. 5263.
Senecio u~~ionis Sch.-Bip., No. 5262.
Silene macroselen Steud., No. 5252.
Sporobolus africanus (Poir.) Robyns et Tourn., No. 5290.
Swertia lugardae Bullock, No. 5270.
Thesium kilimundscharicum Steud. ex A. Rich., No. 5269.
Trifolium cryplopodium Steud. ex A. Rich., No. 5273.
Umbilicus botyroides Hochst. ex A. Rich., No. 5230.
Verbascum scrophdarifolia Hochst. ex A. Rich., No. 5260.
Verbascum thapsus L., No. 5254.
Vemonia rtatalensis Sch.-Bip., No. 5250.

KUNDI AND GOSHMEDA

Agrostis sp. aff. quinqueseta (Steud.) Hochst., No. 6470.
Agrostis sp. aff. semiverticillata (Forssk.) Chiov., No. 6488.
Ajuga sp., No. 6498.
Alchemilla rothii Oliv.; No. 6442.
Artthosperum herbaceum Linn. f., No. 6496.
Arabiopsis thaliana (L.)Heynh., No. 7018.
Arabis curteifolia Hochst. ex A. Rich., Nos. 6472, 6965, 7020.
Argyrolobium sp., No. 6462.
AsplePzium aethiopicum (Bum.) Bech., No. 6950.
Barbarea ?irttermedia Boreau, No. 6429.
Bartsia lmgiflora Hochst. ex Benth., No. 6444.
Bavtsia petitiana (A. Rich.) Hemsl., No. 6424.
Calamidha simensis Benth.
Campanula rigidifolia Steud. ex Hochst., Nos. 6426, 6461.
Cardamine obliqua Hochst. ex A. Rich., No. 6447.
Carex monostachya K . Schum., No. 6487.
Celsia brevipedicellata Engl., No. 6482.
Cerastium indicum Wight & Am., No. 6957.
Cerastium octandrum A. Rich., No. 6469.
Cineraria gra4diflora Vatke, No. 6485.
Conyza sp., No. 6499.
Coreopsis macrantha Sch.-Bip., No. 6443.
Cotula anthemoides L., No. 6466.
Crassula alba Forssk., No. 6480.
Crepis carbonaria Sch.-Bip., No. 6427.
Crepis elleabeckii R. E. Fries., No. 6962.
Cynoglosszcm amplifolium Hochst. ex DC., Nos. 6437, 6491.
Cynoglossum geometricum Bak. et C . H. Wright, No. 6453.
Euphorbia depauperata Hochst. ex A. Rich. var. pubiflora N. E. Br., No. 6441.
Festuca sp., No. 6489.
Geranium simense Hochst. ex A. Rich., No. 6956.
Gerbera piloselloides (L.)Cass., No. 6494.
1961423 TWO JOURNEYS TO THE ARAENNA MOUNTAINS 151

Haplocarpha ruppellii (Sch. Bip.) Beauverd, No. 6436.

Helichrysum citrispinum Del. var. citrispinum, No. 6425.
Helichrysumformosissimum (Sch.-Bip.) Sch.-Bip. ex A. Rich., No. 6440.
Helichrysum horridum Sch.-Bip., No. 6422.
Helichrysum splendidum (Thunb.) Less., Nos. 6438. 6963.
Heracleum elgmense (Wolff) Bullock, No. 7021.
Inula decipiens E. A. Bruce, No. 6449.
Koeleria cristata Pers. var. cmvoluta (Hochst.) C. E. Hubbard, No. 6490.
Lobelia rhynchopetalum (Hochst.) Hemsl. ssp. calosomargi4i?ata E. Wimmer,
Nos. 6431, 6955.
Lotus goetzii Harms, No. 6451.
Loxoscaphe thecifera (H. B. K.) Moore, var. cmcirtna (Schrad.) C. Chr., No. 6450.
Micromeria ?Punctata (R. Br.) Benth., Nos. 6434, 6459.
Minuartia jiilifolia (Forssk.) Mattf., No. 6454.
Mysotis sp., No. 6446.
Oreophytumfalcatum (Hochst.) 0. E. Schulz, No. 7019.
Pimpinella oreophila Hook. f., No. 6432.
Polygala steudneri Chad., No. 6465.
Primula verticillata Forssk., Nos. 6477. 6960,
Ranunculus multi$dus Forssk., No. 6486.
Ranunculus oreophytus Del., Nos. 6433, 6958.
Rubus volkensii Engl., Nos. 6445, 6964.
Salvia sp. aff. S . merjamie Forssk., No. 6458.
Salvia nilotica Juss. ex Jacq., Nos. 6455, 6500.
Saxifraga hederifolia Hochst. ex A. Rich., No. 6448.
Scabiosa columbaria L., Nos. 6423, 6958.
Sempervivum chrysanthum Hochst., No. 6476.
Silene burchellii DC., No. 6456.
Selzecio myriocephalus Sch.-Bip. ex A. Rich., No. 6439.
Solanum binderianum Schimp. ex Engl., No. 6475.
Sonchus bipmtini Aschers, No. 6428.
Smchus melanolepis Fresen., No. 6495.
Smchus rueppellii (Sch.-Bip.) R. E. Fries, No. 6491.
Spergula amensis L., No. 6467.
Stachys aculeolata Hook. f., No. 6457.
Stephalzia abyssinica (Dill. et A. Rich.) Walp., No. 6493.
Trifolium campestre Schreb., No. 6464.
Thymus serphyllum L. agg., No. 6949.
Vermica abyssirtica Fresen., No. 6468.

MT. WOCHACHA
Sedum epide4i?dronHochst. ex A. Rich. and Agauria salicifolia (Comm. ex Lam.)
Hook. f. ex Oliv. were both collected at 3000 metres on Mt Wochacha not
far from Addis Ababa. This is believed to be the most northerly station
for the latter species.
152 PROCEEDINGS OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON

PLATE 1
a. Giant Lobelia (Lobelia rhynchopetalum) growing in waste land near village in association
with Hypericum lanceolatum, Euphovbia de#auperata and Artemisia afra at Dehnso,
10,400f t (c. 3170 m.)-a low altitude for this species. 23 April 1958.
b. Pasture and parkland in juniper (Juniperus proccra) forest at 9500 f t (c. 2900 m.) near
Goba on the march to AngaSu. 14 December 1959.

PLATE 2
a. Camp a t Anghu, 11,500f t (c. 3500 m.) showing forest of Hypericum lanceolatum with
Euphorbia depauperata in the undergrowth, just below the tree line. 11 April 1958.
b. A characteristic cushion of ' natchilo' (Helichrysum citrispinum) on the edge of the
moor just above Anghu, seen here in association with Senecio myriocephalus.
15 December 1959.
PLATE 3
On the moorland above Anghu a t 12,000f t (c. 3360 m.) on the way t o Batu showing Lobelia
rhynchopetalum and low Erica arborea. The valley of the Tog6na river is in t h e
background. 13 April 1958.
PLATE 4
a . View from Batu camp at 13,350f t (c. 4070 m.) looking across the marsh towards Saneti
Peak, 14,200 f t (c. 4315 m.). The slopes opposite are covered mostly with Heli-
chrysum citrispinum and Lobelia rhynchopetalum. The ground here is riddled with
the burrows of the rodent, Awicanlhus abyssinicus. 7 December 1959.
b. A group of ' kosso ' trees (Hagenia abyssinica) in the Rira valley at 10,000f t on the way
to Ordobba. 15 April 1958.
PLATE 5
M t Dimtu, 14,537 f t or 4433 m., the highest peak in southern Ethiopia from the east a t
Camp 111. Helichrysum citrisfinum and Lobelia rhynchopetalum are seen in the fore-
ground; the dark patch in the background below the cliff is Erica arborea. 19
December 1959.
PLATE 6
a. Camp under an immense ' gatema ' tree (Scheflera abyssinica) at Kacha (8200f t ) below
Rira on the way to Ordobba. The trunk and branches are smothered in epiphytes
of all kinds : orchids, ferns, mosses, Peperomia spp., Lycopodium saururus and the
beautiful Canarina eminii. 18 April 1958.
b . The ' karkaha ' or Hill Bamboo (Arundinaria aZpina) near Goromti a t 9500 f t (c. 2900 m.)
on the way t o the Birol6 Pass. 2 January 1960.
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