| Aloe juvenna | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Aloe juvenna in cultivation | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asphodelaceae |
| Subfamily: | Asphodeloideae |
| Genus: | Aloe |
| Species: | A. juvenna |
| Binomial name | |
| Aloe juvenna Brandham & S.Carter | |
Aloe juvenna (tiger-tooth aloe) is a species of plant in the genus Aloe . It is popular in cultivation but extremely rare in its natural habitat in Kenya. [1]
It is endemic to Kenya in East Africa. Here it is restricted to a small rocky area in the mountainous south west of the country, near the border with Tanzania.
It has long been common in cultivation, but its origin was not known. The first recorded cultivated specimens were in South Africa, but although there were rumours that it had come from Kenya, its origins were a mystery even then. It was first believed to be a juvenile Aloe, due to its small size, and it was labelled "juvenna" ("juvenile") for this reason. However that label eventually became its formal name. Later, it was thought to be a hybrid perhaps of Aloe distans with Haworthia coarctata or a species of Astroloba .
It underwent genetic testing in the 1970s and, when it was discovered that Aloe juvenna had a doubled set of chromosomes (tetraploidy), it came to seem more likely that this Aloe came from East Africa, where most other tetraploid Aloes originate. The name Aloe juvenna was finally published as a valid species name in 1979. Finally, in 1982, an expedition in the far south west of Kenya discovered a few plants on a tiny rocky mountainous ridge, high about tropical rainforest. The existence of these plants in such a remote locality confirmed that the species was a natural one. However, how it originally came to be brought into cultivation in the first place, remains a mystery. [2] [3]
Aloe juvenna is frequently confused with Aloe squarrosa from the island of Socotra. However Aloe squarrosa has long, 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.
Aloe juvenna has many short, straight, compact triangular leaves, which are densely packed all along the stems. It is common in cultivation but extremely rare in habitat. Aloe juvenna is also a tetraploid, with a double set of chromosomes (28, instead of 14) and, in appearance, does not resemble any other Aloe species from the region. [4] [5]
Dioscorea elephantipes, the elephant's foot or Hottentot bread, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Dioscorea of the family Dioscoreaceae, native to the dry interior of South Africa.
Aloe arborescens, the krantz aloe or candelabra aloe, is a species of flowering succulent perennial plant that belongs to the genus Aloe, which it shares with the well known and studied Aloe vera. The specific epithet arborescens means "tree-like". Aloe arborescens is valued by gardeners for its succulent green leaves, large vibrantly-colored flowers, winter blooming, and attraction for birds, bees, and butterflies.
Aloe polyphylla, the spiral aloe, kroonaalwyn, lekhala kharetsa, or many-leaved aloe, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Aloe that is endemic to the Kingdom of Lesotho in the Drakensberg mountains. An evergreen succulent perennial, it is well known for its strikingly symmetrical, five-pointed spiral growth habit.
Aloe jawiyon is a species of succulent plant in the genus Aloe first described in 2004. It is endemic to the island of Socotra, Yemen, located in the Indian Ocean, approximately 200 miles off of the southwestern coast of the Arabian Peninsula and around 430 miles east of the coast of Somalia.
Aloidendron pillansii, formerly Aloe pillansii, the giant quiver tree or bastard quiver tree, is a large, branching species of succulent plant indigenous to southern Africa. It is regarded as critically endangered.
Aloe squarrosa is a species of flowering plant in the Asphodelaceae family. It is from the island of Socotra, Yemen.
Asplenium trichomanes, the maidenhair spleenwort, is a small fern in the spleenwort genus Asplenium. It is a widespread and common species, occurring almost worldwide in a variety of rocky habitats. It is a variable fern with several subspecies.
Kumara plicatilis, formerly Aloe plicatilis, the fan-aloe, is a succulent plant endemic to a few mountains in the Fynbos ecoregion, of the Western Cape in South Africa. The plant has an unusual and striking fan-like arrangement of its leaves. It may grow as a large multistemmed shrub or as a small tree. It is one of the two species in the genus Kumara.
Aloiampelos commixta is a flowering plant in the Asphodelaceae family. It is commonly called Table Mountain aloe, and is a rare succulent plant that is endemic to the Cape Peninsula, South Africa. It naturally occurs only on the Table Mountain range, within the city of Cape Town.
Aloiampelos tenuior, formerly Aloe tenuior, the fence aloe, is a bushy, multi-branched succulent plant from the grasslands and thickets of the Eastern Cape, Kwazulu Natal and Mpumalanga, South Africa. Its preferred habitat is sandy soils in open country, unlike many of its relatives that favour thicket vegetation. It is one of the most profusely flowering of all aloes and their relatives.
Aloiampelos gracilis, formerly Aloe gracilis, the rocket aloe, is a succulent plant, endemic to dry thicket vegetation around the city of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Its natural range lies just to the west of the related Aloiampelos ciliaris, and it occurs in bushy fynbos and dry thickets, and clustered on rocky outcrops at all altitudes. Its range extends westwards into the Baviaanskloof mountains.
Aloe perfoliata, the rubble aloe or mitre aloe, is a hardy creeping aloe, found in rocky, mountainous areas throughout the Western Cape, South Africa.
Kumara haemanthifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Asphodelaceae. It is a rare species of succulent plant, native to a few high, inaccessible mountain peaks in the Fynbos habitat of Western Cape, South Africa.
Aloe pearsonii is a very distinctive and unusual species of aloe, that is naturally endemic to the arid Richtersveld area on the border between South Africa and Namibia.
Aloe rupestris is an arborescent aloe indigenous to summer-rainfall areas of southern Africa.
Aloe purpurea is a species of Aloe endemic to the island of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean, where it formerly occurred on dry rocky slopes and outcrops, the highland plateaus, and the forests of the west. It is part of a group of aloes which bear fleshy berries, and were therefore classed as a separate group, "Lomatophyllum". It is also one of only two Aloe species which naturally occur on Mauritius - both endemic and occurring nowhere else.
Aloe volkensii is a species of plant widely distributed in East Africa.
Aloe kedongensis is a species of aloe which occurs in Kenya and northern Tanzania.
Aloe castilloniae is a species of flowering plant in the family Asphodelaceae. It is endemic to the south of Madagascar, where it grows in calcareous cliffs and rocky ridges in the Mahafaly plateau.
Symphyotrichum shortii, commonly called Short's aster, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America, where it is primarily found in interior areas east of the Mississippi River. Its natural habitat is in thin rocky soils of woodlands and thickets often around limestone bluffs. It is common throughout much of its range, although it is generally restricted to intact natural communities.
