Aloe barbara-jeppeae T. A. McCoy & Lavranos

Tom A. McCoy & John J Lavranos, 2013, Aloe barbara-jeppeae TA McCoy & Lavranos; a long-overdue tribute, Cactus And Succulent Journal 85 (4), pp. 154-159 : 156-158

Aloe barbara-jeppeae T. A. McCoy & Lavranos sp. nov.,

affinis A. castaneae Schoenland,

sed habitu acaulescente vel caulo breviter decumbente praedita, plerumque solitaria, foliis laete viridibus, haud canescentibus nec cinerascentibus, marginibus dentibus maioribus distantisque armatis, inflorescentia erecta, non obliqua vel contorta, floribus brevioribus, lobisque latioribus.

Type. Republic of South Africa, north slope of the Steenkampsberg, Lavranos 26380, 4 th April 1988, at approximately 25° 04´S, 30° 11´E. Holotype FT .

Plant solitary or occasionally dividing into 2–3 rosettes, acaulescent or, in time, with a decumbent stem to 25–30 cm or longer. Leaves 25–35, up to 70 cm in length, 12 cm wide at base, arcuate-erect, upper surface vivid green (or reddish during dry periods) without any markings, flat at base, becoming canaliculate near the apex; lower surface same in color as the upper, plano-convex, their rather wide cartilaginous red margin armed with pungent, red teeth to 4 mm long, 5 mm wide at their base, spaced 12–15 mm apart, the apices of the teeth recurved. Inflorescence simple, erect, 1–3 produced successively, 130–150 cm in length. Peduncle 50–70 cm in length below the raceme, 20 mm thick at base, dark purplish-brown, with very numerous brownish-green, sterile bracts that are often paired, ovate acute to deltoid, 10 × 15 mm, fleshy at first, with a green mid-rib, becoming papery later. Raceme very densely flowered, cylindric, slightly acuminate, up to 85 cm in length, erect. Floral bracts broadly obovate-acute, yellow, fleshy at first, becoming scarious, 17–20 mm long, 12–14 mm wide, with 5–7 brown, longitudinal nerves. Pedicels 1–2 mm long, green. Perianth yellow to orange, darkening with age, cylindric-campanulate, 14–15 mm long, 8 mm broad at base; outer tepals free, with 3 green nerves and obovate apices, widening towards the mouth; inner lobes free, wider than the outer, with three green nerves. Filaments orange, the inner three 2 mm wide, exserted at first, followed by the outer three that are 2.5 mm wide. Stigma orange, at length exserted by 14 mm. Ovary orange, 6 mm long, 3 mm diam. Seed capsule ripening to dark brownish purple, 1.5 cm long × 1 cm wide. Seeds brown without wing or nearly so, 1 mm × 5 mm. Exudate yellowish, drying brownish yellow