Aloe perfoliata

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Aloe perfoliata
Aloe mitriformis 2.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asphodelaceae
Subfamily: Asphodeloideae
Genus: Aloe
Species:
A. perfoliata
Binomial name
Aloe perfoliata
L.
Map of Aloe perfoliata in South Africa.png
The natural range of Aloe perfoliata roughly matches the extent of Fynbos vegetation and the Cape Floristic Region

Aloe perfoliata, the rubble aloe or mitre aloe, is a hardy creeping aloe, found in rocky, mountainous areas throughout the Western Cape, South Africa.

Contents

Naming and classification

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. [1]

This species is the most widespread of a group of closely related "Creeping Aloes" ( Mitriformes ), [2] 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. [3]

Appearance

Rubble Aloes growing down a cliff-face in the Western Cape Aloe perfoliata (4).jpg
Rubble Aloes growing down a cliff-face in the Western Cape

In their natural habitat, these aloes have long, prostrate, branching stems of up to 2 meters. Instead of growing upright, they tend to sprawl along the ground and over rocks. While most of the plant lies along the ground, the terminal leaf-bearing head is often erect, facing upwards to the sun. The leaf margins are armed with harmless, little white teeth.

The Rubble Aloe is extremely variable-looking, depending on its environment, making it difficult to identify sometimes. Plants growing in full sun develop tightly arranged bluish leaves, while those in the shade have more widely spaced green leaves. During dry conditions, the leaves assume a red colour. The thick, fleshy leaves often curve inwards during times of drought – making the rosette look rather like a mitre (until recently this species was known as Aloe mitriformis because of this resemblance).

The rubble aloe flowers profusely in summer Aloe perfoliata in flower- Western Cape South Africa 3.jpg
The rubble aloe flowers profusely in summer

Unlike most aloes, which flower in winter, the Rubble Aloe flowers in summer. The red flowers appear on stalks, which (befitting the variable nature of this species) vary from being rounded to being cone-shaped.

Distribution

Aloe perfoliata is indigenous to the Western Cape and some adjacent areas in the Northern and Eastern Cape of South Africa. Here it typically occurs in mountainous rocky Fynbos, overflowing into neighboring Karoo and Albany Thicket vegetation. [4]

They are usually found in groups among rubble and rocky outcrops (hence their Afrikaans name, "Puin Aalwyn", or "Rubble Aloe"), growing in clay or sandy soil. These resilient plants tend to prefer flat, rocky places but it is not uncommon to see them hanging on vertical cliff faces.

Subspecies

Cultivation

A very tough and compact species, it can be grown on embankments, rocky slopes and walls, and it easily survives through both very hot summers and snow in the winter. These aloes are also used in arid gardens as they flower in the summer (unlike most aloes), but require full sun for maximum flowering.

The species can easily be propagated by taking stem cuttings, dried for a day or two and planted in sand. [5]

Aloe × nobilis

A hybrid of Aloe perfoliata with Aloe brevifolia , named Aloe × nobilis , is very commonly used in landscaping around the world. [6] It is frequently confused with Aloe perfoliata itself, but A. × nobilis is a much smaller plant, and has much smaller rosettes. It is usually a light green colour. [7]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Aloe arborescens</i> Species of succulent

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<i>Aloe polyphylla</i> Species of succulent

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<i>Gonialoe sladeniana</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Aloe striata</i> Species of succulent

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<i>Aloe ferox</i> Species of succulent

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<i>Corymbium</i> Genus of perennial plants from South Africa

Corymbium is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family comprising nine species. It is the only genus in the subfamily Corymbioideae and the tribe Corymbieae. The species have leaves with parallel veins, strongly reminiscent of monocots, in a rosette and compounded inflorescences may be compact or loosely composed racemes, panicles or corymbs. Remarkable for species in the daisy family, each flower head contains just one, bisexual, mauve, pink or white disc floret within a sheath consisting of just two large involucral bracts. The species are all endemic to the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa, where they are known as plampers.

Aloe albida is a dwarf species of succulent plant.

<i>Kumara plicatilis</i> Species of tree

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.

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<i>Aloiampelos tenuior</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Aloiampelos</i> Genus of succulent flowering plants

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<i>Aloe buettneri</i> Species of plant

Aloe buettneri is a species of succulent plant in the family Asphodelaceae. It is found in West Africa and is known for its medicinal uses.

<i>Aloe pearsonii</i> Species of succulent

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.

<i>Aloe arenicola</i> Species of succulent

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<i>Aloe <span style="font-style:normal;">ser.</span> Mitriformes</i> Group of succulents

Aloe ser. Mitriformes is a taxonomic series within the genus Aloe, comprising several closely related species of Southern African rambling aloe. These typically multi-branched sprawling aloe species have rigid fleshy leaves and slender pedicels about the length of the perianth, each being roughly 40 mm long. The stems tend to sprawl along the ground, with the ends densely leafed and upturned.

<i>Aloe karasbergensis</i> Species of Aloe

Aloe karasbergensis, is a species of Aloe found in Namibia to the Northwest Cape Province, South Africa.

References

  1. "Kransaalwyn". Red List of South African Plants. South African National Biodiversity Institute.
  2. "Creeping Aloes". Succulent Plant Site.
  3. "Aloe pearsonii". South African National Biodiversity Institute.
  4. Raimondo, D., von Staden, L., Foden, W., Victor, J. E., Helme, N. A., Turner, R. C., Kamundi, D. A. and Manyama, P. A. 2009. Red List of South African Plants. Strelitzia 25. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
  5. "Aloe mitriformis". South African National Biodiversity Institute.
  6. Smith, G.F.; Figueiredo, E. (2015). "Notes on Aloe ×nobilis Haw. (Asphodelaceae: Alooideae)". Haseltonia. 21: 72–76.
  7. D. L. Baldwin: Succulents Simplified. Timber Press, 21 May 2013.