Aloiampelos tenuior

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Aloiampelos tenuior
Aloe tenuior var tenuior - South Africa 3.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
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]

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

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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.