| Aloe pluridens | |
|---|---|
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| Aloe pluridens plants in flower | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asphodelaceae |
| Subfamily: | Asphodeloideae |
| Genus: | Aloe |
| Species: | A. pluridens |
| Binomial name | |
| Aloe pluridens Haw. | |
Aloe pluridens (also known as the French Aloe) is an arborescent aloe indigenous to southern Africa.
This species can occasionally grow up to 6 meters in height. It is usually single-stemmed (however in cultivation conditions it sometimes forms multiple branches). Its thin, recurved, light-green leaves form an elegant and symmetrical spiral in their growth around the rosette. The leaves are lined with large numbers of white teeth (its name "pluri-dens" means "multiple-teeth")
This species is frequently confused with the related species Aloe ferox , Aloe africana and Aloe excelsa . However it has more thin delicate pale green or yellow-green leaves; and a thinner trunk than the other robust arborescent aloe species. Its leaf margins have many small pink-white teeth.
The inflorescence usually branches into a maximum of four uniform-coloured, cone-shaped racemes. The flowers are uncurved, and a pink or dull scarlet colour.
In its multi-branched form, it can also look similar to the smaller multi-branched Aloe arborescens . The French Aloe's flowers are different from all of these other species though, and the spiral leaf-growth is also distinctive. [1]
The French Aloe is found in a wide coastal belt in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, from the Kei River mouth to the Humansdorp area. There is also a disjunct group of populations in coastal KwaZulu-Natal.
Here its habitat is often dense succulent thickets. It often grows in association with Aloe ferox , A. africana and A. speciosa , and hybrids can occur. The climate is moderate, without frost, and hot and humid during summers. Rainfall occurs throughout the year, from 600 to 700 mm per annum. [2]
Aloe, also written Aloë, is a genus containing over 550 species of flowering succulent plants. The most widely known species is Aloe vera, or "true aloe". It is called this because it is cultivated as the standard source for assorted pharmaceutical purposes. Other species, such as Aloe ferox, are also cultivated or harvested from the wild for similar applications.
Aloe vera is a succulent plant species of the genus Aloe. Having some 500 species, Aloe is widely distributed, and is considered an invasive species in many world regions.
Gonialoe variegata, also known as tiger aloe and partridge-breasted aloe, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asphodelaceae. It is an evergreen succulent perennial indigenous to South Africa and Namibia. It is common in cultivation.
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 marlothii is a large, single-stemmed Southern African aloe of rocky places and open flat country, occasionally growing up to 6m tall.
Aloe comosa is a species of flowering plant in the Asphodelaceae family. It is commonly called Clanwilliam aloe) and is endemic to South Africa.
Aloe excelsa is an arborescent aloe indigenous to southern Africa.
Aloe ferox, commonly known as bitter aloe, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asphodelaceae. This woody aloe is indigenous to southern Africa. It is one of several Aloe species used to make bitter aloes, a purgative medication, and also yields a non-bitter gel that can be used in cosmetics.
Aloe africana is an arborescent species of aloe plant, indigenous to the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.
Aloiampelos striatula, formerly Aloe striatula, the hardy aloe or striped-stemmed aloe, is a sturdy succulent plant that naturally occurs on the summits of mountains along the south of the Karoo region of South Africa. Tough and hardy, with bright yellow flowers, it is also cultivated as a garden ornamental.
Aloiampelos ciliaris, formerly Aloe ciliaris, the common climbing-aloe, is a thin, tough, rapidly growing succulent plant from South Africa.
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.
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.
Aloe arenicola is a spotted creeping aloe, indigenous to the arid west coast of South Africa.
Aloe speciosa is a species of flowering plant in the Asphodelaceae family. It is commonly called tilt-head aloe and is an arborescent aloe indigenous to the thicket vegetation of the southern Cape Provinces of South Africa.
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 aldabrensis is a species of Aloe endemic to the islands of Aldabra in the Indian Ocean, where it can still be found in coastal scrub on limestone-based soil.
Leucospermum pluridens is a large upright evergreen shrub of up to 3 m (10 ft) high assigned to the family Proteaceae. It has leathery, oblong to wedge-shaped leaves of about 7½ cm long and 2½ cm wide, deeply incised near the tip with seven to ten teeth. It has initially yellow, later carmine coloured flower heads. The 2 cm long bracts have slender, recurved tips. From the center of the perianth emerge long styles that jointly give the impression of a pincushion. It is called Robinson pincushion in English and Robinson-kreupelhout in Afrikaans. Flowers can be found between September and December. It naturally occurs in the south of South Africa.
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