Aloe modesta Reynolds, 1956

Klopper, Ronell R., Crouch, Neil R., Smith, Gideon F. & van Wyk, Abraham E., 2020, A synoptic review of the aloes (Asphodelaceae, Alooideae) of KwaZulu-Natal, an ecologically diverse province in eastern South Africa, PhytoKeys 142, pp. 1-88 : 1

Aloe modesta Reynolds

Common names.

Vlei aloe (English); vlei-aalwyn (Afrikaans).

Description.

Grass aloe. Acaulescent plants; rosettes solitary, erect, 0.2-0.3 m high; leaf bases forming bulb-like swelling underground. Leaves rosulate, erect, dull deep green, upper surface without spots, lower surface copiously white-spotted near base, linear-acute, slightly channelled on upper surface, 15-20 cm long, 0.8-0.9 cm wide at ground level; margin exceedingly narrow, cartilaginous, translucent, without teeth or with minute soft whitish teeth; exudate clear. Inflorescence 0.25-0.30 m high, erect, simple. Raceme subcapitate, slightly conical, 3.5-4.0 cm long, 3.0-3.5 cm wide, very dense. Floral bracts 10-13 mm long, 4-6 mm wide. Pedicels 1 mm long. Flowers: perianth yellowish-green, scented, 10-15 mm long, 4 mm across ovary, not narrowed above ovary, slightly narrowed towards slightly upturned mouth, cylindrical-trigonous; outer segments free to base; stamens exserted 2-3 mm; style exserted 3-5 mm.

Flowering time.

January-February.

Habitat.

Stony ground in high altitude open grassland in areas characterised by cold winters and high rainfall. Reasonably heavy and sometimes shale soils.

Diagnostic characters.

Aloe modesta can be distinguished from other grass aloes in KwaZulu-Natal where the leaf bases form a subterranean bulb-like swelling ( Aloe bergeriana , Aloe inconspicua and Aloe kniphofioides ), by the narrow leaves (15-20 × 0.8-0.9 cm) with minute translucent marginal teeth and that are copiously spotted near the base of the lower surface. It is also characterised by the very dense, unbranched, subcapitate raceme (3.5-4.0 cm long) with almost sessile, yellow, sweetly scented flowers (10-15 mm long). It is the only species of aloe with scented flowers outside of Madagascar ( Dyer and Hardy 1974; Van der Riet 1977; Glen and Hardy 2000).

Conservation status.

Endangered. Threats include commercial afforestation, overgrazing, alien invasives and urban expansion ( Raimondo et al. 2009, L. von Staden pers. comm.).

Distribution.

Known only from the mountains around Barberton and near Dullstroom and Lydenburg, Mpumalanga and from the Wakkerstroom area near the KwaZulu-Natal border, South Africa (Fig. 25 ).

Figures

Figure 25. Aloe modesta. Photo: H. M. Steyn.