Aloiampelos tenuior

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Aloiampelos tenuior
Aloe tenuior var tenuior - South Africa 3.JPG
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asphodelaceae
Subfamily: Asphodeloideae
Tribe: Aloeae
Genus: Aloiampelos
Species:
A. tenuior
Binomial name
Aloiampelos tenuior
(Haw.) Klopper & Gideon F.Sm. [1]
Map of Macrifoliae Aloes.png
range in turquoise
Synonyms [1]
  • Aloe tenuiorHaw.
  • Aloe tenuior var. glaucescensZahlbr.
  • Aloe tenuior var. deciduaReynolds
  • Aloe tenuior var. rubrifloraReynolds
  • Aloe tenuior var. densifloraReynolds
  • Aloe tenuior var. viridifoliavan Jaarsv.

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. [2]

Contents

Description

Locally, this plant is known as iKhalene in Xhosa, inTelezi in Fengu, and simply the fence aloe in English. The specific epithet tenuior means "very slender", and refers to the plant's stems. [3]

A medium-sized, bushy plant 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 for tapeworm.

An unusually large, woody rootstock usually forms on the ground at the base of the plant.

Like all species in the genus, flowers are borne on slender racemes and are usually bright yellow (although there are red-flowered forms, sometimes called var. rubriflora).

Aloiampelos tenuior flowers throughout the year, but especially in winter, and the small flowers appear on thin, un-branched racemes. [4]

Varieties

Aloiampelos tenuior is an extremely variable species. The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) does not recognize any varieties, treating them all as synonyms of the species. [1] Varieties recognized by some sources include: [5]

Relatives

Aloiampelos tenuior is part of a genus including Aloiampelos ciliaris (which occurs in the dry thicket from Ciskei to Baviaanskloof), Aloiampelos gracilis (which occurs to the west in dry thicket from Port Elizabeth through the Baviaanskloof), Aloiampelos striatula (found to the north on higher, rocky mountain tops), and Aloiampelos decumbens , Aloiampelos juddii and Aloiampelos commixta which occur only in isolated pockets in the coarse sandstone sands of Western Cape Fynbos.

However, Aloiampelos tenuior can be distinguished from its relatives by its thin, greyish, non-recurved leaves. [6]

Related Research Articles

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

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<i>Aloe marlothii</i> Species of plant in the family Asphodelaceae

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

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<i>Haworthiopsis fasciata</i> Species of succulent

Haworthiopsis fasciata, formerly Haworthia fasciata, is a species of succulent plant from the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The species is rare in cultivation; most plants that are labelled as H. fasciata are actually Haworthiopsis attenuata.

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

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.

<i>Astroloba rubriflora</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Brabejum</i> Monotypic genus of trees in the family Proteaceae from the Western Cape of South Africa

Brabejum is a genus of a single species of large evergreen tree, Brabejum stellatifolium in the family Proteaceae, commonly called wild almond, bitter almond or ghoeboontjie. It is restricted in the wild to South Africa's Western Cape province, where it grows in thickets along the banks of streams. The plant is of botanical interest as being Africa's only member of the large grevilleoid subfamily. It is a bushy small tree with branches widely at ground level and numerous erect vigorous stems. Leaves grow up to 6 in (15 cm) long, narrow and bluntly toothed, appear at intervals along the branches, mostly in whorls of 6. In summer, the plant bears white flowers densely crowded on spikes arising from rusty buds at the leaf axils. The fruits to 2 in (5 cm) long, magenta to reddish brown, similar to an almond, appear in autumn. The nut is too bitter to eat; however, in earlier times it was boiled, roasted, and ground to make a "coffee" drink.

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

Aloe africana is an arborescent (tree-like) species of aloe plant, indigenous to the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

<i>Aloiampelos commixta</i> Species of plant in the family Asphodelaceae

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.

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

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.

<i>Aloiampelos ciliaris</i> Species of vine

Aloiampelos ciliaris, formerly Aloe ciliaris, the common climbing-aloe, is a thin, tough, rapidly growing succulent plant from South Africa.

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

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.

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

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

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

Aloiampelos juddii, formerly Aloe juddii, the Koudeberg aloe, is a newly discovered species that is native to a few rocky outcrops and a farm, near to Cape Agulhas in the Western Cape, South Africa.

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

Aloiampelos decumbens, formerly Aloe decumbens, the Langeberg rambling-aloe, is a sprawling, succulent plant that is endemic to the fynbos vegetation of the Langeberg Mountains near Swellendam and Riversdale in the Western Cape, South Africa.

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

Aloiampelos, formerly Aloe ser. Macrifoliae is a genus of succulent plants in the subfamily Asphodeloideae, comprising seven species found in Southern Africa. They are typically multi-branched climbing or sprawling shrubs, with long spindly stems and a large woody base on the ground. These characteristics, as well as their soft, narrow, triangular leaves whose lower part ensheathes the stem, make them easy to distinguish.

<i>Haworthia zantneriana</i> Species of succulent

Haworthia zantneriana is a species of the genus Haworthia in the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Asphodeloideae, endemic to the southern parts of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape Provinces in South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aloeae</span> Tribe of succulent plants

Aloeae is a tribe of succulent plants in the subfamily Asphodeloideae of the family Asphodelaceae, consisting of the aloes and their close relatives. The taxon may also be treated as the subfamily Alooideae by those botanists who retain the narrower circumscription of Asphodelaceae adopted prior to the APG III system. Typically, plants have rosettes of more or less succulent leaves, with or without a distinct stem. Their flowers are arranged in racemes and tend to be either small and pale, pollinated by insects, or larger and more brightly coloured, pollinated by birds. As of 2017, 11 genera are recognized, most created since 2010 by splitting off another five genera from Aloe and another two from Haworthia. Only two genera, Aloe and Aloidendron, are native outside southern Africa, extending northwards to the Arabian Peninsula. Seven genera are restricted to South Africa, some with small ranges. Members of the Aloeae are cultivated by succulent plant enthusiasts; Aloe species especially are used in temperate climates as ornamental garden plants. Some species are used in traditional medicine. Aloe vera and Aloe ferox are cultivated for their extracts, whose uses include moisturizers and emollients in cosmetics.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Aloiampelos tenuior". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 2017-10-15.
  2. Foden, W. & Potter, L. 2009. Aloe tenuior Haw. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version 2011.1
  3. "Description and Cultivation of Rambling Aloes".
  4. Smith, G.F. & Van Wyk, B.-E. 2008. Aloes in Southern Africa. Struik, Cape Town. ISBN   978-1-875093-04-5.
  5. "Plants of southern Africa: Floristic information 1.1". Archived from the original on 2016-04-19. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
  6. Reynolds, G.W. 1950. The Aloes of Southern Africa. Balkema, Cape Town.