Botanical name |
Aloe arborescens |
Other names |
Krantz aloe; kransaalwyn (Afrikaans); inkalane (Zulu) |
Family |
Asphodelaceae |
Dimensions |
Many-branched aloe, a shrub of often over 2 m tall and spreading |
Description of stem |
Branching grey to beige stems with numerous new shoots easily starting on thriving plants to give the plant a bushy and dense appearance |
Description of leaves |
Fleshy and soft, curving back more or less in different climates, often more so in coastal forms, where leaves may be darker green than the dull green characteristic ones in some inland forms; only the edges are armed with forwardly curved thorns |
Description of flowers |
Several unbranched inflorescenses may occur per rosette, the colours varying in a pinkish-red range, with occasional yellow-flower plants; flowers occur in the early winter |
Desciption of seed/fruit |
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Description of roots |
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Variation |
Distinct form variations according to the region of origin; the yellow flower variety is less seen |
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Grows very easily from cuttings in a variety of circumstances, often less likely to suffer from disease than other aloes; copes with shade and varying amounts of watering, although flourishing in sunny conditions |
Propagation and cultivation |
Grows easily from stem cuttings or seed |
Tolerances |
Grows vigorously in a variety of habitats |
Uses |
Common garden species; according to one writer this aloe was used for treating radiation burns of Japanese patients after Hiroshima and Nagasaki |
Ecological rarity |
Not threatened, common |
Pests and diseases |
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Other |
Crosses very easily with several other aloe species; closely related to Aloe mutabilis which has bicolour racemes and broader leaves; should now be taken as a variation of A. arborescens |
Location |
From coastal scrub to mountainous areas in bush and exposed rocky outcrops |
Distribution (SA provinces) |
Southern and eastern coastal provinces of SA as well as the Limpopo Province |
Country |
South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia |