Aloe × caesia Salm-Dyck

Figueiredo, Estrela & Smith, Gideon F., 2019, Aloe × caesia Salm-Dyck (Asphodelaceae) is the correct name of the common hybrid aloe [Aloe arborescens Mill. × A. ferox Mill.] from the southern Cape, South Africa, Bradleya 2019 (37), pp. 31-40 : 38

Aloe × caesia Salm-Dyck , Verz. Art. Aloe: 29 (1817a). Haworth: 46 (1819); Salm-Dyck: 14 (1834)

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Neotype: Illustration of Aloe caesia Salm-Dyck in Monogr. gen. aloes [Fasciculus 7. Figure 5 ] (§ 17. Figure 3 ) (1863), here designated.

[For the illustration see: http://plantillustrations.org/ill ustration.php?id_illustration=184065&SID=0&mobile=0&size=1]

Synonyms:

Aloe × caesia var. [α] patula Salm-Dyck, Verz. Art. Aloe: 29 (1817a). Type: as for Aloe × caesia .

Aloe × caesia var. [Β] elatior Salm-Dyck, Verz. Art. Aloe: 29 (1817a). Type: as for Aloe × caesia .

Aloe × caesia var. [γ] disticha Salm-Dyck, Verz. Art. Aloe: 29 (1817a). Type: as for Aloe × caesia .

Aloe africana Salm-Dyck, Cat. rais.: (1817b: 62) non Mill. nom. illeg. Type: as for Pachidendron principis Haw.

Pachidendron × principis Haw., Rev. pl. succ.: 37 (1821).

Neotype:Illustration of Aloe salm-dyckiana Schult. & Schult.f. in Monogr. gen. aloes [Fasciculus 5. Figure 7 ] (§ 27. Figure 1 ) (1849), here designated. [For the illustration see: http://plantillustrations.org/illustration. php?id_illustration=184095&SID=0&mobile=0&size=1]

Aloe × salm-dyckiana Schult. & Schult.f. in J.J. Roemer &J.A. Schultes, Syst. Veg., ed. 15 bis 7: 710 (1829). Type: as for Pachidendron principis Haw.

Aloe × fulgens Tod., Hort. bot. panorm. 2:40, Tab. 33 (1889).

Lectotype: Illustration of Aloe fulgens Tod. in Hort. bot. panorm. [Tab 33] (1889), here designated .

Aloe × salm-dyckiana var. fulgens (Tod.) A.Berger in H.G.A.Engler (ed.), Pflanzenr. IV. 38. III. II. Heft 33: 302 (1908). Type: as for Aloe × fulgens Tod.

Aloe × principis (Haw.) Stearn in Cact. J. (Croydon) 7:42 (1938). Type:as for Pachidendron principis Haw.

Description

Medium-sized to large, shrubby plant up to 1.5(–2)m tall. Stem branched from the base, erect to slightly leaning under weight of rosette, clothed in persistent, twisted, down-curved, dried leaves. Leaves densely rosulate, spreading to recurved, glaucous to dark green, without spots, surfaces generally smooth, lanceolate-ensiform, 30–40cm long, 5–10cm wide at base, lower surface sometimes with few teeth in median line near apex, occasionally with few scattered teeth; margin generally concolorous, with pungent, greenish white to reddish brown decurved, deltoid teeth. Inflorescence usually multiple panicles produced simultaneously and successively, to 1m tall, erect, few- to 8-branched from below middle, branches erect to leaning under weight of densely packed flowers. Peduncle stout;withseveralprominent, scattered, sterile bracts below racemes. Racemes cylindrical to slightly acuminate, 50–80cm long, ± 10cm wide, usually very dense; buds horizontal, flowers pendulous at anthesis. Floral bracts ovate-deltoid. Flowers: pedicellate; perianth orange to red to scarlet red, straight, cigar-shaped enlarged in the middle to slightly clavate-cylindric; tips of segments spreading to slightly flared; stamens well-exserted, exserted part deep orange to crimson red to purplish; style well-exserted. Chromosome number: 2 n = 14, for both Aloe caesia and A. salmdyckiana ( Resende, 1937; Riley & Majumdar, 1979: 49).

Figures

Figure 1. The shrubby, multi-stemmed Aloe arborescens is one of the parents of Aloe ×caesia.

Figure 3. The nothospecies (Aloe arborescens × A. ferox) known as A. ×caesia is plentiful in the vicinity of Mosselbaai in South Africa’s southern Cape.

Figure 5. The flowers of Aloe africana are char- acteristically turned up at the mouth at anthesis.

Figure 7. Close-up of an inflorescence of Aloe africana × A. ferox. Note how the open flowers flare upwards.