Studies of the Flora of Ethiopia and Neighbouring Countries

Section: Botany

Responsible staff: Odile Weber

Research strategy: Understanding and Preserving Nature, Society and Natural History

The MNHNL is a cultural and research institution that plays a key role in documenting and transferring knowledge on biodiversity and geodiversity. It actively seeks opportunities to collaborate with foreign institutions to study biodiversity and promote its sustainable use. This mission aligns with several international commitments, including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, 1994: Art. 5, Art. 12, Art. 18), to which the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a signatory.

Since 2001, the MNHNL has followed a code of conduct developed within the International Plant Exchange Network (IPEN) of the European Consortium of Botanical Gardens. This code commits the museum to collecting specimens only with the consent of the country of origin and to contributing to biodiversity conservation in those countries, as well as to the transfer of scientific and technological knowledge.

The issue of returning artefacts removed during the colonial era has gained importance in recent years. Initiatives such as TheMuseumsLab, established jointly by several cultural and research institutions in Germany and other European countries, aim to facilitate cultural, technological and professional exchange between European and African institutions. These projects foster the development of shared approaches and mutual learning.

Project Objectives

The project on the flora of Ethiopia and neighbouring countries fits within this context and responds to the MNHNL’s international and national commitments. Its specific objectives are:

1. Biodiversity Collection and Preservation: To document and study the flora of the region in order to contribute to scientific research and biodiversity conservation through specimen collection, in accordance with international agreements and established codes of conduct

2. Knowledge Transfer: To facilitate the transfer of scientific and technological knowledge between the MNHNL and institutions in Ethiopia.

3. Cultural Cooperation: To strengthen cultural exchange and cooperation between European and African institutions. 

4. Research and Documentation: To document and study the flora of the region to support scientific research and biodiversity preservation.

Elements of ongoing projects:

Étude Taxonomique du Genre Trifolium (Trèfles) [Taxonomic Study of the Genus Trifolium (Clovers)]: The study of this plant group, which includes three species occurring both in Ethiopia and in Luxembourg, will make it possible to determine the Red List status of the different species and thus contribute to conservation, particularly for species endemic to the region. Specimens collected during field expeditions will be deposited in the Addis Ababa herbarium.

Variation à Grande Échelle de la Composition des Espèces Ligneuses [Large‑Scale Variation in the Composition of Woody Species]: A study on large‑scale variation in the composition of woody species in Dry Afromontane Forests (DAF) and Moist Afromontane Forests (MAF).

Étude Taxonomique sur les Urticaceae d'Afrique de l'Est [Taxonomic Study of the Urticaceae of East Africa]: Principal researcher: Ib Friis.

Liste Rouge des Espèces de Plantes Endémiques Éthiopiennes [Red List of Endemic Ethiopian Plant Species]: In collaboration with Addis Ababa University (AAU, Ethiopia) and Kew Gardens (UK).

The project on the flora of Ethiopia and neighbouring countries is an important initiative that aligns with the MNHNL’s international and national commitments. By contributing to biodiversity conservation and facilitating cultural and scientific exchange, this project will strengthen relationships between European and African institutions and advance scientific knowledge.

Recent publications :

Friis, I., & Weber, O. (2024). Xylopia nilotica (Annonaceae) in Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Uganda, with a review of the genus in North Eastern Tropical Africa. Webbia, 79(2), 239–254. https://doi.org/10.36253/jopt-16134

Jago, S., Elliott, K.F.V.A., Tovar, C., Soto Gomez, M., Starnes, T., Abebe, W., Alexander, C., Antonelli, A., Baldaszti, L., Cerullo, G., Cockel, C., Collison, D., Cowell, C., Delgado, R., Demissew, S., Devenish, A., Dhanjal-Adams, K., Diazgranados, M., Drucker, A. G., Dulloo, M. E., Erland, B. M., Fadika, S., Huang, W., Inwood, K., Jones, S. K., Klitgaard, B. B., Lebbie, A., Lim, F. K. S., Lulekal, E., Morales-Rozo, C., Niang, F., Nic Lughadha, E., Oliveira, R. P., Ortega-Argueta, A., Pironon, S., Plummer, J. F., Ramirez, M., Ryan, P., Simbiano, F. J., Smith, R. J., Stevenson, P. C., Treydte, A. C., Victor, J. E., Weber, O., Williams, C., Yohanna, C. T., Grace, O. M., Darbyshire, I., Borrell, J. S. (2024). Adapting wild biodiversity conservation approaches to conserve agrobiodiversity. Nature Sustainability 7, 1385–1394. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-024-01427-2

Atinafe, E., Weber, O., Friis, I., & Seta, T. (2023). Species diversity and vegetation structure of woody plants in regenerating Juniperus forest replacing Eucalyptus in the conservation area of Gullele Botanic Garden, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Webbia, 78(2), 49-71. https://doi.org/10.36253/jopt-14656

Friis, I., van Breugel, P., Weber, O., & Demissew, S. (2022). The Western Woodland of Ethiopia: A study of the woody vegetation and flora between the Ethiopian Highlands and the lowlands of the Nile Valley in the Sudan and South Sudan. Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab. Scientia Danica. Series B, Biologica Vol. 9 http://publ.royalacademy.dk/backend/web/uploads/2024-02-16/SDB_9_01_00_2022_6525.pdf (Pdf)

Friis, I., Demissew, S., Weber, O., & van Breugel, P. (2022). Plants and vegetation of NW Ethiopia: A new look at Rodolfo E.G. Pichi Sermolli’s results from the ‘Missione di Studio al Lago Tana’, 1937. Firenze University Press. Studi e Saggi No. 240 https://doi.org/10.36253/978-88-5518-634-6

Demissew, S., Friis, I., & Weber, O. (2021). Diversity and endemism of the flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea: state of knowledge and future perspectives. Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali, 32(4), 675-697. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-021-01027-8

Weber, O., Atinafe, E., Awas, T., & Friis, I. (2020). Euphorbia venefica Trémaux ex Kotschy (Euphorbiaceae) and other shrub-like cylindrically stemmed Euphorbia with spirally arranged single spines. Societe des Naturalistes Luxembourgeois. Bulletin, 122, 57-82. https://www.snl.lu/publications/bulletin/SNL_2020_122_057_082.pdf (Pdf)

Bachman, S.P., Wilkin, P., Reader, T., Field, R., Weber, O., Nordal, I., Demissew, S. (2020). Extinction risk and conservation gaps for Aloe (Asphodelaceae) in the Horn of Africa. Biodivers Conserv, 29, 77–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-019-01870-0

Species names published by O.Weber

Commicarpus macrothamnus Friis & O.Weber, Kew Bull. 71(3)-34: 7 (2016).

Eriospermum adpressifolium O.Weber, Kew Bull. 70(2)-28: 6 (2015).

Cyperus beentjei L.R.Gardner & O.Weber, Kew Bull. 69(2)-9501: 6 (2014). 

Dioscorea sterilis O.Weber & Wilkin, Kew Bull. 60(2): 286 (283-291; figs.) (2005).