Aloe, Linnaeus, 1753

Smith, Gideon F. & Klopper, Ronell R., 2021, Aloe × selmarii (Asphodelaceae subfam. Alooideae), a new nothospecies from South Africa, with A. davyana var. davyana and A. parvibracteata as parents, Phytotaxa 521 (4), pp. 289-300 : 295-298

Aloe × selmarii Gideon F.Sm. & Klopper, nothospec. nov. ( Figs. 7–9 ).

Type:— SOUTH AFRICA. Gauteng province.—2528 (Pretoria): Pretoria, Silverton Ridge, a natural habitat of Aloe davyana , with A. parvibracteata cultivated close by, (– CA), 25 August 2020, G. F. Smith 1124 (holotype PRU).

Parentage:— Aloe davyana Schönland (1905: 288) var. davyana × Aloe parvibracteata Schönland (1907: 139)

Diagnosis:—Plants of A. × selmarii, the nothospecies with A. davyana and A. parvibracteata as parents, are low-growing, basally branched, and their rosettes consist of erectly disposed, purple-infused leaves. Inflorescences are branched at or below the middle, with erect, narrowly conical-cylindrical racemes that taper upwards. Flowers of A. × selmarii are dull orange and the perigone segments conspicuously white-margined.

Description:—Plants small, acaulescent, low-growing, branched from base to form clumps of 4–7 rosettes, rarely solitary, rosettes erect to twisted sideways, up to (20–) 30 cm tall. Stem ± absent, short, thickened lower down if present, clothed in persistent, twisted, dried leaves. Leaves densely rosulate, at first erect, then horizontally spreading, dark green, purplish-infused, deltoid-lanceolate, 12–20(–30) cm long, 6–7 cm broad at base, upper ⅓ dried, twisted; lower surface pale green, sometimes distinctly white-spotted, smooth, longitudinally purple-lined, lines narrow, somewhat confluent; upper surface with numerous irregularly scattered, elongated H-shaped to ± oblong whitish spots, sometimes arranged in broken transverse bands; margins concolorous to light brown, armed with prominent, short, very pungent, deltoid, shiny light to dark brown teeth, straight or variously curved towards leaf base or tip, ± 4–5(–7) mm long, 7– 10(–15) mm apart. Inflorescence single, sometimes two produced per rosette per season, unbranched raceme or more commonly 2- to 4-branched panicle, (0.6–)0.8–1.0(–1.2) m tall, erect, branched at or above middle, branches erect at rather narrow angle from peduncle. Peduncle rather stout; lacking sterile bracts below racemes, panicle branches subtended by prominent fertile bracts; fertile bracts irregularly lanceolate-triangular, ± 20–60 mm long, drying rapidly, dull light brown to creamy white, distinctly longitudinally dark brown-lined. Racemes narrowly conical-cylindrical, tapering upwards, 20–30 cm long, ± 6–7 cm wide where flowers are at anthesis, often rather densely flowered; buds erect to erectly spreading, flowers pendulous at anthesis. Floral bracts narrowly lanceolate, variously twisted, ± 5–10 mm long, shorter than pedicels, drying rapidly, light brown to greyish brown, much narrower than fertile bracts. Flowers: pedicellate, pedicels 15–20 mm long, pinkish orange; perianth: buds orange, dark green-tipped; open flowers ± 30–35 mm long, ± 6–7 mm across ovary, narrowed above ovary to yield bulbous base, ± straight to down-curved, slightly enlarged towards mouth, middle ± cylindrical, orange; margins of perigone segments with greyish white longitudinal sections in upper ⅓; tips of segments very slightly flared, outer segments free for ½ of their length; stamens with filiform-flattened filaments, uniformly light yellowish white, exserted for <1 mm; ovary 8–9 mm long, 2–3 mm in diameter, light green; style eventually slightly exserted, uniformly light yellow; stigma tiny, very slightly capitate, white. Fruit a capsule, 20–25 × 10–13 mm, dull mid-green to purplish green, dry remains of perigone soon shed. Seed not seen. Chromosome number: unknown.

Eponymy:— Aloe × selmarii is named for Prof. Dr Selmar Schonland (15August 1860 [Frankenhausen, Germany]– 22 April 1940 [Grahamstown, South Africa]) ( Fig. 10 ). He obtained a Ph.D. from Kiel University in Germany and in 1889 emigrated to South Africa where he was Director of the Albany Museum in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Schonland described both A. davyana and A. parvibracteata , the parents of A. × selmarii. Schonland is also commemorated in A. × schoenlandii Baker (1902: 430), as ‘ Schönlandi ’, pro sp. [ A. maculata Allioni (1773: 13) × A. striata Haworth (1804: 18) ], which is a synonym of A. × schimperi Todaro (1878: 70, plate 16) ( Figueiredo & Smith 2016: 14).

Schonland’s surname was originally spelt with an ‘umlaut’ on the ‘o’, as in ‘Schönland’, but Schonland himself later dropped the diacritical sign, preferring the spelling ‘Schonland’ ( Gunn & Codd 1981: 318). The standardised form of his surname in the authorship of nomenclatural novelties is ‘Schönland’, with the ‘umlaut’ therefore retained ( Brummitt & Powell 1992: 573; see also https://www.ipni.org/a/9219-1).

With more than a passing interest in succulents, Schonland described many new species in the families Crassulaceae and Asphodelaceae , including publishing around 20 aloe names (see for example Schönland 1904, 1905, 1907). The Schonland Herbarium in Grahamstown is also named for him.

Figures

FIGURE 7. The leaves of Aloe ×selmarii are purple-infused, but also, like those of A. davyana, borne erectly, not near-horizontal as in A. parvibracteata. Photograph: Gideon F. Smith.

FIGURE 8. Racemes of Aloe ×selmarii are more conical than those of A. davyana, so more closely resembling those of A. parvibracteata. Photograph: Gideon F. Smith.

FIGURE 9. Flowers of Aloe ×selmarii are a lighter shade of orange than those of the orange-flowered-form of A. parvibracteata. The perigone segments are noticeably white-margined, a character more often found in A. davyana. Photograph: Gideon F. Smith.

FIGURE 10. Prof. Dr Selmar Schonland (1860–1940) for whom Aloe ×selmarii is named. Photographer unknown. © Selmar Schonland Herbarium, Albany Museum, Grahamstown.