Botanical name |
Aloe verecunda |
Other names |
|
Family |
Asphodelaceae |
Dimensions |
A small, erect grass aloe, often deciduous, growing to 30cm, solitary or in groups |
Description of stem |
Lowest (outer) parts of the leaves show characteristic white spots; winter grass fires or the cold leaves just the short stem visible, until the new leaves sprout annually in spring |
Description of leaves |
Narrow blue-green leaves arranged in two ranks or narrowly fan-shaped, sometimes developing into a circular rosette arrangement in older plants; the leaves covered with many raised, wartlike white spots on the outer surface near the base; small soft teeth on the edges (only); dying back in harsher winter weather |
Description of flowers |
Capitate, single racemes appear in summer, deep pink to red flowers, pendulous upon opening, perianth green at the mouth |
Desciption of seed/fruit |
|
Description of roots |
Thick fleshy roots where water is stored in winter when it is normally leafless |
Variation |
A greenish flower form exists in the Limpopo Province |
Propagation and cultivation |
Grown from seed, do well in sunny rockery environments with well-drained soil; unlike many other grass aloes, A. verecunda thrives in full sun; transplanting is harmful to the root system that takes a long time to recover |
Tolerances |
|
Uses |
Garden plant, advertised on the international market |
Ecological rarity |
Not common anymore in the natural habitat, becoming threatened through habitat destruction and degradation? |
Pests and diseases |
|
Other |
CITES (and local provincial) restrictions on removal, transplanting and even seed collection of SA grass aloes without authorisation (See www.gisa.co.za); A. verecunda can be seen on the Melville Koppies |
Location |
Rocky outcrops and mountainous slopes, in grassland |
Distribution (SA provinces) |
Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo |
Country |
South Africa |