Aloe umfoloziensis Reynolds, 1937

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

NE Aloe umfoloziensis Reynolds

Common names.

Groot-bontaalwyn (Afrikaans); icena, ilicena (Zulu).

Description.

Acaulescent plant or with short stem, up to 0.4 m high; rosettes sometimes solitary, usually suckering to form small groups; with persistent dried leaves. Leaves densely rosulate, spreading or deflexed, upper surface green to brownish-green, with numerous dull white oblong spots, irregularly scattered or sometimes in undulating interrupted transverse bands, lower surface paler green, without spots or obscurely to distinctly spotted, usually somewhat lineate, lanceolate-attenuate, up to 20-30 cm long, 8-9 cm wide, with dried twisted apex; margin with horny, pungent deltoid brown teeth, 3-5 mm long, 10-15 mm apart; exudate honey-coloured, drying purplish. Inflorescence 1.0-1.5 m high, erect, 5- to 8-branched from about middle or above, lowest branch sometimes rebranched. Racemes capitate, apex rounded, 7-9 cm long, 7-9 cm wide, rather dense. Floral bracts 8-12 mm long. Pedicels 10-15 mm long. Flowers: perianth coral-red, 33-38 mm long, 8-9 mm across ovary, abruptly constricted above ovary to form subglobose basal swelling, widening towards wide-open mouth, slightly decurved, laterally compressed; outer segments free for 8-9 mm; stamens and style exserted 3-5 mm.

Flowering time.

July-August.

Habitat.

Low-lying sub-tropical open savannah, open grassland and on rocky places for some distance along rivers and watercourses.

Diagnostic characters.

Aloe umfoloziensis can be distinguished from other maculate aloes in KwaZulu-Natal ( Aloe dewetii , Aloe maculata subsp. maculata , Aloe mudenensis , Aloe parvibracteata , Aloe prinslooi , Aloe pruinosa , Aloe suffulta , Aloe vanrooyenii and Aloe viridiana ) by the tall, 5- to 8-branched, sometimes rebranched, inflorescence (1.0-1.5 m high) with rather small round-topped capitate racemes (7-9 cm long and wide) and pedicels that are 10-15 mm long. Flowers are coral-red, 33-38 mm long and with a globose basal swelling (8-9 mm diameter). Leaves are spreading or deflexed, up to 20-30 × 8-9 cm and densely spotted on the upper surface, while the paler lower surface is without spots or obscurely to distinctly spotted, usually somewhat lineate. Marginal teeth are 3-5 mm long.

Conservation status.

Near-threatened. Threats include habitat loss and degradation owing to trampling by livestock, erosion and agriculture (L. von Staden pers. comm.).

Distribution.

Northern KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, as well as south-eastern Eswatini and just entering southern Mozambique (Fig. 45 ).

Figures

Figure 45. Aloe umfoloziensis. Photo: G. Nichols.