Aloe neilcrouchii Klopper & Gideon F.Sm.

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

E Aloe neilcrouchii Klopper & Gideon F.Sm.

Common names.

Neil’s aloe (English); neilse-aalwyn (Afrikaans).

Description.

Grass aloe. Stem up to 0.95 m long, decumbent to erect, branched mainly from base, forming robust offshoots along its length, without persistent dried leaves. Leaves deciduous, densely rosulate, erectly spreading, green, with numerous elongated, white, somewhat tuberculate spots on both surfaces, deltoid to ovate-lanceolate, up to 43 cm long, up to 13.5 cm wide at base; margin narrow, cartilaginous, whitish, with small whitish, deltoid, irregularly spaced teeth, 1-2 mm long, 2-5 mm apart; leaf exudate clear, drying clear, not bitter. Inflorescence 0.6-0.8 m high, erect, simple. Raceme capitate, ± 12 cm long, 10 cm wide, dense. Floral bracts ± 30 mm long, 7 mm wide. Pedicels 30-45 mm long. Flowers: perianth salmon-pink, green-tipped, ± 45 mm long, 10-13 mm across ovary, slightly narrowed above ovary, slightly constricted just before flared mouth, cylindrical-trigonous; outer segments free almost to base; stamens not or only slightly exserted; style exserted to ± 5 mm.

Flowering time.

December-January.

Habitat.

Southeast-facing aspects in rocky grassland.

Diagnostic characters.

Aloe neilcrouchii can be distinguished from other grass aloes in KwaZulu-Natal with unkeeled leaves that are wider than 3.5 cm ( Aloe boylei , Aloe ecklonis , Aloe hlangapies and Aloe kraussii ), by the large rosettes of erectly spreading, rosulate leaves (up to 43 × 13.5 cm), with copious white tuberculate spots on both surfaces. It is further characterised by the long, sprawling, leafless stems of up to almost 1 m long, which branch at the base and form offshoots along its length. The unbranched inflorescences (0.6-0.8 m high) have dense, capitate racemes ( ± 12 cm long) with large ( ± 45 mm long), salmon-pink, rather straight flowers. This is the largest and most robust species of the leptoaloe group, also known as 'slender aloes’ ( Klopper and Smith 2010; Smith et al. 2011).

Conservation status.

Endangered. Threats include habitat fragmentation and destruction owing to commercial silvicultural and agricultural practices ( Johnson et al. 2011).

Distribution.

Known from only two localities near Karkloof and New Hanover, in the midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Fig. 28 ).

Figures

Figure 28. Aloe neilcrouchii. Photo: N. R. Crouch.