South African National Biodiversity Institute, Compton Herbarium, Cape Town (SAM)
Collection
Flora of Southern Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of South Africa, (2003) Author: Dr J.P. Roux
Names
Aloe alooides [family ALOACEAE]
Common names
Urginea alooides Bolus: 395 (1881). Notosceptrum alooides (Bolus) Benth.: 775 (1883); Baker: 285 (1896b). A. recurvifolia Groenew.: 39 (1935); Reynolds: t. 601 (1936k); Reynolds: 111 (1940b); Reynolds: 436 (1950). Neotype: Mpumalanga, near Graskop, F.Z. van der Merwe 73 (PRE!, designated by Reynolds 1950).
Information
Trees 2-A m tall; stems usually simple, rareÂly branched near base. Leaves many, recurved, 600-1300 x 70-180 mm, deeply channelled, olive-green, sometimes slightly reddish. InfloresÂcence simple, 3-5 simultaneously, up to 1.3 m tall; bracts ovate-acute, 5-8 x 3-5 mm, 3-5-nerved. Flowers sessile, lemon-yellow, 8-10 mm long. Anthers exserted 3-7 mm. Ovary ± 3 x 3 mm, orange; style exserted 3-8 mm. Fruit ± 9x7 mm. Flowering time July to August.
Habitat
The flowers of this species are the smallest in the entire genus, and plants are the slowest-growing. Among the species of this section, this species stands out because of its deeply chanÂnelled, sharply recurved leaves and very long, narrow inflorescences.
Aloe alooides grows in shallow soil on dolomite outcrops in a limited area of the MpuÂmalanga escarpment. It sometimes occurs in association with Encephalartos humilis. The summers in this area are warm and rainy, the winters dry and cold. Map 72.
