Botanical name |
Aloe cooperi |
Other names |
Isiputumane (Zulu) |
Family |
Asphodelaceae |
Dimensions |
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Description of stem |
Stemless or short-stemmed |
Description of leaves |
Light green leaves may have a few white spots near the base on the upper surface whilst the lower surface is generally spotted near the base; the leaves are arranged fanlike, only in mature plants sometimes becoming a rosette; the leaf is normally markedly keeled; only the edges have teeth |
Description of flowers |
Single, conical raceme with pink, cerise, light yellow or occasionally red flowers in summer; the perianth is pendulous once open; bracts noticeable around the base of the pedicel |
Desciption of seed/fruit |
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Description of roots |
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Variation |
Grows bigger in more conducive climatic zones of its natural distribution; variations tarkaensis and broomii have been described |
Propagation and cultivation |
Attractive rock garden plant for also harsher climates |
Tolerances |
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Uses |
A garden plant; the young leaves and flowers are cooked as a vegetable; there is a report that horses given some of the boiled leaf juice to drink become rid of ticks (www.plantzafrica.com) |
Ecological rarity |
Well represented in its distribution area |
Pests and diseases |
Snout beetle, white scale and fungus |
Other |
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Location |
Coastal and inland hills, high (summer) rainfall areas |
Distribution (SA provinces) |
Mpumalanga, Kwazulu-Natal |
Country |
South Africa, Swaziland |