Aloe aculeata (common names include ngopanie, sekope, red hot poker aloe) is an Aloe species that is native to the Limpopo valley and Mpumalanga in South Africa along with southern and central Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It grows on rocky outcrops in grassland and dry bushveld. Aculeata ("prickly") refers to the spines on the leaf's surface and the teeth on its margins.
The plant's leaves reach 30 to 60 cm (12 to 24 in) tall. Flowers are reddish orange to yellow when in bud, opening to orange to yellow, and 23 to 40 mm (0.91 to 1.57 in) long.
Aloe aculeata was depicted on the reverse of the South African 10 cent coin from 1965-1989. The plant can be found inGibraltar Botanic Gardens
Aloe africana Mill.
The plant grows slowly and flowers when it is four to five years old. Flowering time is from winter to early spring (July to September in South Africa). Its large raceme is erect and may be branched or unbranched, and has tubular flowers that are orange or yellow.
Uniquely, the small flowers are each up-turned, with a distinctive bend. As this aloe species can sometimes look very similar to related species (e.g. Aloe excelsa or Aloe ferox), this feature is useful for identification.
The leaves are more messy or disorderly than the neat symmetrical rosettes of otherarborescent Aloe species. They are arranged in a dense apical rosette and are spreading to recurved, firm linear-lanceolate, with a grey-green surface; each leaf's margins are armed with small, reddish teeth, a feature common in the Aloe genus
Aloe albida (Stapf) Reynolds
Its flowers are small, white and borne on a single inflorescence. Its flowering time is usually in early autumn (March–April in the Southern Hemisphere), although it may begin to flower as early as February. The leaves form a rosette and have a waxy coating, which gives them a pale greyish/bluish green colour
Aloe albiflora Guillaumin
Aloe albiflora is a species of aloe indigenous to Madagascar with narrow, muricate leaves and widely campanulate, snow-white flowers that are 10mm long and 14mm across the mouth. Its nearest affinity, based on leaf characters only, is Aloe bellatula.
Aloe albiflora is cultivated typically as a potted plant in greenhouses or outdoors in mostly frost-free regions.
Aloe arborescens Mill.
Aloe arborescens is a large multi-headed sprawling succulent, its specific name indicating that it sometimes reaches tree size.[2] Typical height for this species 2–3 metres (6.6–9.8 ft) high. Its leaves are succulent and are green with a slight blue tint. Its leaves are armed with small spikes along its edges and are arranged in rosettes situated at the end of branches.[3]Flowers are arranged in a type of inflorescence called a raceme. The racemes are not branched but two to several can sprout from each rosette. Flowers are cylindrical in shape and are a vibrant red/orange color
Aloe arenicola Reynolds
The name "arenicola" means "inhabitant of sands" in Latin, as this tough aloe is naturally restricted to the sandy dune areas that run in a narrow strip along the South African west coast, from Lamberts Bay in the south, up to the Namibian border in the north. This coastal strip lies within the Namaqualand, an arid winter-rainfall area. During the severest droughts, the plants get all the moisture they require from the mists that sweep up from the sea.
Adapted as they are for arid, sandy, winter-rainfall desert, their roots and stems tend to rot when they are propagated in wet climates. Nonetheless, the distinctive colour and markings of this aloe have made it a popular ornamental in xeriscaping and it is widely grown for dry gardens.
Aloe argenticauda Merxm. & Giess
Aloe aristata Haw.
It is stemless, sawtoothed and succulent. The soft succulent leaves grow in rosettes, and are lanceolate with bristly margins.
Its nectar-rich, tubular orange flowers tend to attract birds, bees, and wasps easily. When not in bloom, it is similar to and often confused with some Haworthia species, such as Haworthia fasciata.
Aloe bakeri Scott-Elliot
Aloe bakeri is a species of flowering plant in the family Xanthorrhoeaceae, native to Madagascar. Growing to 10–20 cm (4–8 in) tall by 40 cm (16 in) wide, it is an evergreen perennial forming multiple rosettes of spidery succulent green or reddish-green toothed leaves, heavily mottled with white. In summer it produces red or orange, green-tipped tubular flowers.
The Latin specific epithet bakeri honours one of two British horticulturalists, in this case John Gilbert Baker of Kew (1834-1920).
With a minimum temperature of 10 °C (50 °F), this plant requires winter heat, and in temperate regions is cultivated under glass. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Aloe ballii Reynolds
Aloe ballii is a species of plant in the family Xanthorrhoeaceae, subfamily Asphodeloideae. It is found in Mozambique andZimbabwe.
Aloe ballyi Reynolds
Aloe barberae Dyer
Aloe barberae (syn. Aloe bainesii), also known as Tree aloe, is a species of aloe native to South Africa northwards toMozambique. In its native climes this slow-growing tree can reach up to 18 m (54 ft) high and 0.9 m (3 ft) in stem diameter.Aloe barberae is Africa's largest aloe. The tree aloe is often used as an ornamental plant. Its tubular flowers are rose pink (green-tipped); it flowers in winter and in its natural environment is pollinated by sunbirds
Aloe brevifolia Mill.
Aloe brevifolia (Kleinaalwyn, short-leaved aloe) is a tiny, compact, blue-green aloe, that is native to the Western Cape, South Africa.
Listed as Vulnerable on IUCN's global Red List, it is threatened in its natural habitat, but is also widely popular as an ornamental plant in rockeries and desert gardens world-wide.
As it requires winter heat, in temperate regions it is grown under glass or as a houseplant.
Aloe broomii Schönland
This aloe is widespread in South Africa and Lesotho. In South Africa, it grows from Beaufort West in the Northern Cape to theFree State (which borders the land-locked enclave of Lesotho), and south and east to the Eastern Cape.
Aloe buettneri A.Berger
Aloe buettneri is a succulent plant with thick and fleshy leaves arranged in a rosette. The leaves grow to about 40–80 cm long, 8–9 cm broad. The leaves are rimmed by alternating paired and solitary teeth and come together to form an underground bulb-like base making the plant appear stemless. The flowers are arranged in a loose panicle. The plant carries up to 12 branches with bulbs that vary in color from green-yellow, orange, or dull red
Aloe camperi Schweinf.
Aloe camperi is a species of aloe indigenous to Africa, specifically the regions of Ethiopia and Eritrea.
It grows in colonies, with orange flowers in early spring.
Aloe capitata Baker
Aloe capitata is a species of flowering plant in the Aloe genus. It is native to Madagascar
Aloe ciliaris Haw.
They can be differentiated from other climbing aloes by the way that the soft, white, hair-like teeth (=ciliaris) that grow along the margins of the leaves, extend all the way around the stem, at the base of the leaf.
The fleshy leaves themselves are strongly recurved (helping to anchor the tall stems in dense thickets and assist the aloe in climbing). The leaf sheaths are conspicuously striped green and white.
These aloes grow very quickly, producing long, thin, untidy stems that shoot upwards, producing large bright orange-red flowers once they reach the sun. If there are no nearby trees to act as host and support, it just forms a straggly shrub.
The red flowers appear mostly from November to April.
Aloe commixta A.Berger
Aloe commixta is a rambling, multi-stemmed aloe, also known as the Peninsula Rambling Aloe. This "accent plant" rarely gets over 1 metre (3.3 ft) tall, as its slender stems tend to sprawl along the ground and over rocks.
Aloe commixta flowers in late winter (August and September). A stout inflorescence shoots up, bearing reddish erect buds that open into dense, bright orange-yellow flowers. In its natural habitat in the fynbos vegetation of Table Mountain, its flowers are pollinated by sunbirds and honey bees.
The leaves are thick, fleshy and evenly-spaced on a fine stem, with distinctive green stripes on the internodes. The leaves tend to be about 200 mm long, with tiny white teeth along the margins.
A. commixta is easily identified by its straight, wide, succulent leaves (that do not recurve downwards, as in the case of many other climbing aloes), by its slender, sprawling stems, and by the unique and distinguishing subcapitate raceme of its flowers. In particular, its flowers are much larger than those of other climbing aloes, and are bunched together more densely at the top of the raceme
Aloe comosa Marloth & A.Berger
Typically, Aloe comosa has thick, succulent blades approximately 2 feet (0.6 metres) long. The leaf surface is glabrous and the curving of the lamina is involute. The morphology of its leaves are simple and have a lanceolate leaf shape that tend to curve towards the tips. The edges of the leaves are entire and are lined with spiny, tooth-like, brown-red thorns. The fleshy blades have a whorled leaf insertion as they emerge from the rosette which sits on top of the erect stem.
Aloe comosa is considered a tree aloe having a single, unbranched stem which may attain heights of approximately 3 meters. As it matures and grows in height, Aloe comosa retains its dry, dead leaves and forms a tangled skirt or beard. Tree aloe bark differs from woody dicot bark in that it doesn’t have a phellogen, which is the meristematic tissue that differentiates into the bark. In essence, aloe bark is actually overlapping, irregular layers of incomplete bark tissues.
Aloe cooperi Baker
- Young shoots and flowers are often cooked and eaten as vegetables by the Zulu people, they also believe that smoke from burning leaves in the cattle kraal will prevent the effects on cattle of eating improper food.
- The plant's juice has been fed to horses to rid them of ticks.
- The plant attracts nectar feeding birds, this made it a popular garden plant in South Africa
Aloe decumbens (Reynolds) van Jaarsv.
This aloe is decumbent - as its name suggests - and its long, thin branches sprawl for up to 1 meter along the ground and over the rocky outcrops where it grows.
Its bright scarlet flowers appear on and off throughout the year, regardless of season, though usually in January and December. The individual flowers are brightly coloured and large like those of A. ciliaris. However they appear only very sparsely on the relatively small, thin inflorescence. They also share the long, slender perianth of A. gracilis - not A. ciliaris's green-tinted and constricted opening to the perianth.
Aloe dichotoma (the quiver tree or kokerboom) is a tall, branching species of aloe, indigenous to Southern Africa, specifically in the Northern Cape region of South Africa, and parts of Southern Namibia.
Aloe eminens Reynolds & Bally
It grows as a massive, branching tree of roughly 35 feet in height. It looks similar to its close relative, the giant Tree Aloe (Aloe barberae) of South Africa, however its leaves are slightly more yellow, and it produces bright red flowers.
Aloe erinacea D.S.Hardy
It is endemic to Namibia. Its natural habitats are high mountain slopes in dry shrubland and rocky areas.
It naturally occurred over a very wide range, but this area is now highly fragmented due to is habitat loss, with different subpopulations being widely separated from each other. The species is also severely threatened by illegal collecting for the plant trade.
Aloe excelsa A.Berger
The Zimbabwe Aloe is a tall aloe, that reaches tree dimensions of 5–6 metres, although 3 metres is a common height. It is single-stemmed and all but the lowest part of the trunk is swathed in the remains of dead leaves. The leaves form a compact rosette at the top, spreading becoming recurved and up to 1 metre long. They are dark green in summer and succulent, up to 3 cm thick at the centre. Similar to some other aloe species, young plants have a great deal of spines over their leaf surfaces. However as they taller and less vulnerable to grazing, these brown-red teeth disappear and remain only on the leaf margins.[1]
This species is frequently confused with the related Aloe ferox and Aloe africanaspecies, to the south, and they do look very similar when fully grown. However the flowers are different, with the racemes of Aloe excelsa being far shorter and slightly curved.
Aloe ferox Mill.
Aloe ferox is a tall, single-stemmed aloe, that can grow to 10 feet (3.0 m) in height. Its leaves are thick and fleshy, arranged in rosettes, and have reddish-brown spines on the margins with smaller spines on the upper and lower surfaces. The leaf surfaces of young plants are covered in spines, however, as they get taller and less vulnerable to grazing, the leaves begin to lose most of their spines except for those along the leaf margins.
Its flowers are orange or red, and stand between 2 and 4 feet (0.61 and 1.22 m) above the leaves, in multi-branched inflorescences.
It is a variable species, and plants may differ physically from area to area, due to local conditions. This aloe is frequently confused with the related Aloe excelsa species, to the north, and they do look very similar when fully grown. However the flowers are different, with theracemes of Aloe excelsa being far shorter and slightly curved.
Aloe gracilis Haw.
Aloe gracilis (or the Rocket Aloe) is a climbing aloe, endemic to the area around the city of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Its natural range lies just to the west of the related climbing aloe Aloe ciliaris, and it occurs in bushy fynbos and thickets, and clustered on rocky outcrops at all altitudes.
Aloe haemanthifolia Marloth & A.Berger
Aloe haemanthifolia is a small bunched aloe with greyish-green, tongue-shaped leaves that grow in a fan shape, similar to its sister species the Fan Aloe (Aloe plicatilis). In fact, it looks very much like a diminutive, stemless form of the tree-like Aloe plicatilis. Its compact ranks of leaves are oblong and grey-green in colour, with bright red margins. [2][3]
Small and close to the ground, it often escapes notice or is mistaken for a lily. In fact, its name "haemanthifolia" was given because of its resemblance to the popular Haemanthus bulbs. [3] [4]
It produces bright scarlet flowers at the end of winter (September up until November in its natural habitat).
Aloe helenae Danguy
Aloe hereroensis Engl.
Aloe inyangensis Christian
Aloe inyangensis is a succulent aloe plant species, found only in the mountainous Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. It grows best in shady conditions but in some areas is also found in the open in heaths on mountain tops. There are two subspecies: the relatively flimsy A. inyangensis inyangensis commoner in the northern part of the range; and the sturdier A. inyangensis kimberleyana towards the southern end of its range
Aloe jucunda Reynolds
Aloe jucunda can reach a height of about 35 cm. It has shiny, glossy, triangular, dark green leaves, usually about twelve, flecked with pale green spots, up to 4 cm long and 2–5 cm wide, with triangular teeth on the margins.
The inflorescences are single cylindrical clusters, about 35 cm high. The flowers are pale pink or coral pink, 20–30 mm.Aloe jucunda can reach a height of about 35 cm. It has shiny, glossy, triangular, dark green leaves, usually about twelve, flecked with pale green spots, up to 4 cm long and 2–5 cm wide, with triangular teeth on the margins.
The inflorescences are single cylindrical clusters, about 35 cm high. The flowers are pale pink or coral pink, 20–30 mm.
Aloe juddii van Jaarsv.
Aloe juddii (or the Koudeberg Aloe) is a newly discovered climbing aloe that is native to a few rocky outcrops and a farm ("Farm 215"), near to Cape Agulhas in the Western Cape, South Africa.
It is one of the few aloes that are indigenous to the Fynbos vegetation type and it is closely related to the similarly rare Aloe commixta of Table Mountain. Like the Table Mountain Aloe, it is a slender, multi-stemmed rambling aloe, with semi-erect stems that often sprawl along the ground and over rocks.
In October and November it produces brilliant displays of bright red flowers, that are usually swiftly eaten by the tiny "Klipspringer" antelope that live in the area.
Aloe maculata All.
It is a very variable species and hybridizes easily with other similar aloes, sometimes making it difficult to identify. The leaves range in colour from red to green, but always have distinctive "H-shaped" spots. The flowers are similarly variable in colour, ranging from bright red to yellow, but are always bunched in a distinctively flat-topped raceme. The inflorescence is borne on the top of a tall, multi-branched stalk and the seeds are reputedly poisonous.
Aloe marlothii A.Berger
Named after Rudolf Marloth, a South African botanist, this species of aloe has an especially large robust head of stiff, grey-green leaves. These leaves can be up to 1.5m in length and usually densely covered in short spines on the convex lower surfaces and less so on the concave upper surfaces. Like many other arborescentaloe species, this Aloe is more spiny when it is small and as it becomes taller and less vulnerable to grazing, it loses many of the spines from its leaf surfaces. It normally has a trunk densely covered by the withered old leaves.
The inflorescence is a much-branched panicle with up to 30 or exceptionally 50 racemes. Flower colour varies a great deal, and ranges from yellow through orange (most common) to bright red. Flowering takes place through the winter months, as is the case with most aloes.
The distinctively horizontal branches of its inflorescence is an easy way to distinguish this species from other aloes. For this reason it is sometimes known as the flat-flowered aloe. (However, the type known as Aloe spectabilis, has taller, less horizontal inforescences.) The densely packed flowers all tend to point upwards from the raceme.[1]
When not in flower, it is easily confused with the closely related Zimbabwe Aloe, and with the similar-looking Cape Aloe andAfrican Aloe species to the south
Aloe nyeriensis Christian & I.Verd.
Aloe nyeriensis is a succulent aloe plant species, endemic to Kenya.
It grows from 1-3 metres tall, and sends up an inflorescence on a flowering stalk from 0.5-0.8 metres tall, densely packed with red flowers. A. nyeriensis grows on rocky soils of the savannah, often in communities with Acacia trees, at altitudes between 1760 and 2100 metres. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of threatened species
Aloe pearsonii Schönland
Aloe pearsonii is often considered part of a group of southern African "Creeping Aloes" (Mitriformes) together with closely related species Aloe perfoliata, Aloe arenicola, Aloe meyeri and Aloe dabenorisana. However, other botanists believe it to be closer to the "Climbing Aloes" (Macrifoliae). This unusual plant would be an outlier whichever series it was classified into, and is probably a "missing-link" intermediate between the two series.
The name "pearsonii" remembers the botanist and first director of the South African National Botanical Institute, Professor Pearson
Aloe peglerae
SchönlandThe Fez Aloe is typically 300–400 mm in diameter, and 300–400 mm in height. The glaucous leaves are strongly incurved to form a compact, spherical rosette.
Inflorescence can be observed in July and August, and usually consists of a single cylindrical spike 300–400 mm tall, occasionally forked. The visible portions of filaments are deep purple in colour
Aloe perfoliata L.
Aloe perfoliata was formerly known as Aloe mitriformis. The physical appearance of this aloe varies greatly depending on environment, and consequently various sub-populations have previously often been mistaken for being separate species. The South African National Biodiversity Institute now recognizes that these are all members of the same species, Aloe perfoliata, comprising what were previously known as Aloe mitriformis, Aloe distans, Aloe comptonii, Aloe albispina and Aloe flavispina among others.
This species is the most widespread of a group of closely related "Creeping Aloes" (Mitriformes), including the cliff-hanging aloes A. meyeri and A. dabenorisana(stemless), as well as spotted Aloe arenicola of the South African west coast and the unusual Aloe pearsonii of the Richtersveld desert
Aloe perryi Baker
Perennials; stems 1.5 M. (5°) high, woody, rough from leaf-remnants; leaves glaucous-green, often with darker spots, thick, succulent, bayonet-shaped, margin with reddish spines or serratures; flowers racemose or spicate, tubular, yellowish, orange-red; stamens 6, unequal, 3 longer than corolla. Inspissated juice (aloes - A. Perryi): Socotrine, blackish-brown, opaque, or smooth glistening masses, fracture conchoidal, sometimes soft; odor aromatic, saffron-like, never fetid, putrid; taste nauseous, bitter; 50 p. c. soluble in cold water
Aloe petricola Pole-Evans
Aloe petricola is a medium sized plant that grows fairly low to the ground. This plant reaches anywhere from 18-24 inches in height and can reach a little over a meter in width, while its inflorescences can reach about 4 feet, surpassing the height of the plant's fleshy leaves. This succulent plant is virtually stemless and has rosettes of blue-green colored leaves. These leaves contain thorns on their surfaces and have short, triangular toothed margins. A mature plant can have up to six branches of flowers, which are long, skinny, densely flowered racemes, carried on stout stems. The inflorescences are tightly packed with dark brown antlers, and typically include at least two colors, usually a deep red towards the top where the buds are seen, and cream-yellow color at the bottom towards the base, reaching the stem of the flower. Flowers on the Aloe petricola plant are tube-shaped and about 30mm long.The colors on these plants are bright and vibrant, and they change as they begin to open, revealing more of the yellow color towards the bottom.
Aloe pillansii L.Guthrie
This aloe grows up to 15 meters in height. It branches dichotomously, and superficially resembles Aloe dichotoma. It can be distinguished by its paler, wider, recurved leaves, and its taller, more sparsely branched growth form.
Its round, bright yellow flowers are pendant, and hang down below the rosette (unlike those of the other tree aloes). They appear in Spring.
See the Aloe dichotoma article for further information, including the distinction between A. dichotoma var. pillansii and the other subspecies.
Aloe plicatilis (L.) Mill.
Aloe plicatilis can grow to a height of 3–5 metres (9.8–16.4 ft) tall. The trunk has corky, fire-resistant bark and the branches fork into pairs without a central leader, a pattern known as "dichotomous" branching. The branches bear masses of succulent, oblong, tongue-shaped leaves arranged in 2 opposite rows in the shape of a fan.[1] To the imaginative, the leaf-heads look a bit like a mass of grey hands, raised in the air.
The leaves are grey-green in colour, about 300 mm long and 40 mm wide, and have tiny teeth along the margins that are noticeable only on close inspection. Aloe plicatilis is one of only four species of aloe in the world which display this unusualdistichous arrangement of its leaves. Two of these species occur only in Madagascar, while the Fan Aloe and its tiny stemless sister-species Aloe haemanthifolia occupy the same small mountainous corner of the Western Cape in South Africa.[1]
At the end of winter (August to October) the plants appear to burst into flames as they suddenly produce masses of bright pink fowers.
Aloe polyphylla Pillans
Aloe polyphylla is a stemless aloe and grows its leaves in a very distinctive spiral shape. The plants do not seem to sucker or produce off-shoots, but from the germination of their seeds they can form small, dense clumps. The fat, wide, serrated, gray-green leaves have sharp, dark leaf-tips.
This aloe flowers at the beginning of summer, producing red-to-pink flowers at the head of robust, branched inflorescences.
Aloe ramosissima Pillans
Aloe ramosissima is a species of flowering plant in the family Xanthorrhoeaceae. It is endemic to the Richtersveld at the border between South Africa and Namibia, where it grows on desert slopes and in ravines. Its common name is maiden's quiver tree.
Its habitat may be threatened by mining and overgrazing.
It is similar to Aloe dichotoma, but bushier and shorter in stature, rarely exceeding 60 centimeters in height.[1] It might not be a distinct species; it has been treated as a variety and a subspecies of A. dichotoma
Aloe rauhii Reynolds
Aloe rauhii are less than 6 inches (15cm) high. Leaf rosettes are approximately 5 inches (12 cm) in diameter. The leaves have characteristic heavily white oval spots with tiny white marginal teeth, the overall appearance of which may resemblesnowflakes. Plant propagates via clumping. In full sunlight, the green and white leaves become a purplish orange color
Aloe reynoldsii Letty
Aloe reynoldsii is a succulent without a stem or with very short stems, with leaves gathered in a rosette. The leaves are bluish-green, elongated, fleshy, with a waxy texture, longitudinal lines and with numerous pale green spots and tiny whitish teeth on the margins. The inflorescences show numerous yellow tubular flowers, slightly swollen at the base. The flowering period occurs during September.
Aloe reynoldsii is often confused with its close relative, Aloe striata (the Coral Aloe), and they do look very similar. However Aloe reynoldsii has waxy, toothed leaf margins and yellow flowers, while the Coral Aloe has smooth leaf margins and red flowers
Aloe sinkatana Reynolds
Aloe sladeniana Pole-Evans
The small, stemless rosettes produce suckers that offshoot from the root, which can eventually form dense clumps. The sharp, triangular green leaves point slightly upwards and form three rows. The leaves are covered in linear white spots, and their narrow white cartilaginous margins are finely notched. Tall, very thin inflorescences appear in January and February, with small sparse pale pink flowers.
Taxonomically, it forms part of the Serrulatae series of very closely related Aloe species, together with Aloe variegata andAloe dinteri. Recent phylogenetic studies have shown these three species to possibly constitute an entirely separate genus, with the suggested name Gonialoe.
While this species looks rather similar to its two sister species, it can be distinguished from Aloe dinteri by its shorter, straighter, less recurved leaves; and it can be distinguished from Aloe variegata by its taller thinner sparser inflorescence, by its having far fewer leaves, and by the spots on its leaves being more linear, almost to the point of being stripes
Aloe squarrosa Baker ex Balf.f.
It is frequently confused with Aloe juvenna from Kenya. However Aloe squarrosa has smooth, spotted leaves that curve backwards. These recurved leaves are kept only around the head or top of each stem, with dead leaves falling off the lower parts of the stem. It is relatively rare in cultivation.
Commoner Aloe juvenna has shorter, non-recurved triangular leaves and grows long stems, with the leaves retained all along the stems.
Aloe striata Haw.
The Coral aloe's species name, "striata", means "stripes", and refers to the long lines (sometimes very faint) on its blue-green leaves. The leaves of this Aloe are not toothed, but have a smooth pink margin.
Due to the similarity of their species names, Aloe striata is sometimes confused in literature with Aloe striatula (hardy aloe) — a very different plant, found in the highlands of the Eastern Cape.
Aloe striatula Haw.
Aloe striatula is a robust rambling Aloe that can form a large shrub of up to 2 meters in height. It is closely related to Cape Town's Aloe commixta, but it is easily distinguished from it by the distinctive dark green stripes on the stems and leaf sheathes (its species name, striatula, means "little stripes"), and by its thin, recurved leaves (which, like its flowers, are more densely packed). The leaves ofstriatula are dark green and strongly recurved, with numerous small white teeth along their margins.
The flowers are reddish-orange and appear densely on tall(400mm), un-branched, cone-shapedracemes throughout the summer.
The unique Caesia variety of this species - found only around Molteno in the Eastern Cape - has lighter grey-green leaves and bright yellow flowers
Aloe succotrina Lam.
The Aloe succotrina plant forms clusters of between 1–2 metres (3.3–6.6 ft) diameter, with its leaves forming dense rosettes. In winter when it flowers (June to September) it produces a tall raceme, bearing shiny red flowers that are pollinated by sunbirds.
Taxonomically, it forms part of the Purpurascentes series of very closely related Aloe species, together with Aloe microstigma, Aloe gariepensis, Aloe khamiesensis and Aloe framesii
Aloe suzannae Decary
It is exceptional in its genus in having nocturnal fragrant flowers, presumably pollinated by nocturnal animals such as bats and small lemurs. It flowers very rarely, but the inflorescence is exceptionally long and lasts for over a month. Its long tubular leaves are relatively soft and rubbery in texture, with rounded tips, and can assume a pink or turquoise colour. Aloe suzannaeis extremely slow-growing, but eventually becomes tall and arborescent. It has been observed in the wild with flowers open during the day. There has never been an observation of lemur pollination on Aloe suzannae and flying insects were observed visiting the flowers. Many plants were observed in flower in late July and early August in situ
Aloe tenuior Haw.
Locally, this plant is known as iKhalene in Xhosa, inTelezi in Fengu, and simply the fence aloe in English. The specific epithettenuior means "very slender", and refers to the plant's stems.
A medium-sized, bushy aloe that forms clumps up to 3 m tall, with leaves tufted at the ends of branches. The leaves have a distinctive greyish-green colour and the leaf margins have tiny white teeth. These leaves are a traditional remedy fortapeworm.
An unusually large, woody rootstock usually forms on the ground at the base of the plant.
Like all climbing aloes, flowers are borne on slender racemes and are usually bright yellow (although there are red-flowered forms, sometimes called var. rubriflora).
Aloe tenuior flowers throughout the year, but especially in winter, and the small flowers appear on thin, un-branchedracemes.
Aloe thraskii Baker
The Dune Aloe is a tall, fast-growing, un-branched Aloe, which develops a very large rosette. The long, pale, grey-green leaves are deeply grooved or channeled (U-shaped in cross-section) and recurve downwards.
The orange and yellow flowers grow in short, compact, cylindrical racemes, on multi-branched inflorescences.
Aloe variegata L.
Plants grow to around 20–30 cm, with 18–24 leaves arranged in three ranks. New leaves appear individually over time from the centre of the plant, flattening older leaves and pushing them outward in a spiral fashion. Each leaf is a rich green colour with irregular light green banding made up of amalgamated, slightly raised oval spots, and similarly light coloured fine serrations along each edge. In mature plants the outer, and thus oldest, leaves are 10–15 cm long and approximately 3–6 cm broad at the base. Depending on trauma, space, water availability or even old age, outer leaves will die off, turning golden brown and shriveling away.
Plants reach maturity in three to seven years, again largely dependent on the space, sunlight and water available, at which point they will begin to send out racemes of flowers. Flowers develop in a cluster at the head of the raceme and are spaced out by its rapid growth.
1801 plate depicting
Aloe variegata
The flowers are orange, arranged in a raceme of around 20–30 cm in height. In its natural habitat in southern Africa, flowers are produced from July to September, with offsets being readily formed.
Taxonomically, it forms part of the Serrulatae series of very closely related Aloe species, together with Aloe dinteri and Aloe sladeniana. Recent phylogenetic studies have shown these three species to possibly constitute an entirely separate genus, with the suggested name Gonialoe. While this species looks rather similar to its two sister species, it can easily be distinguished from them by its shorter, stouter inflorescence with larger pink flowers
Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f.
Aloe vera is a stemless or very short-stemmed succulent plant growing to 60–100 cm (24–39 in) tall, spreading by offsets. The leaves are thick and fleshy, green to grey-green, with some varieties showing white flecks on their upper and lower stem surfaces. The margin of the leaf is serrated and has small white teeth. The flowers are produced in summer on a spike up to 90 cm (35 in) tall, each flower being pendulous, with a yellow tubular corolla 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in) long. Like other Aloespecies, Aloe vera forms arbuscular mycorrhiza, a symbiosis that allows the plant better access to mineral nutrients in soil.
Aloe vera leaves contain phytochemicals under study for possible bioactivity, such as acetylated mannans, polymannans,anthraquinone C-glycosides, anthrones, other anthraquinones, such as emodin, and various lectins
Aloe viridiflora Reynolds
Aloe viridiflora grows in individually, in dense stemless rosettes of 50 to 60 lanceolate narrowed leaves. The glaucous, clearly lined leaf blade grows up to 100 mm long and 20 mm wide. The pungent, pink reddish brown teeth on the leaf margin are 2 mm long and are 2 to 5 mm apart.
The inflorescence has up to six branches and reaches a length of about 150 cm. The dense, racemes are 250 mm long and 200 mm wide. They consist of approximately 50 to 60 individual flowers. The ovoid-pointed bracts have a length of 15 mm and are 7 mm wide. The club-shaped, green flowers are tinged with lemon yellow around the center and are held on 20 mm longpedicels. They are 33 mm long and narrowed at their base. Above the ovary, the flowers are expanded at the mouth to 10 mm. The tepals are not fused together. The stamens protrude 10 mm from the flower and the stylus 10 to 12 mm.
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