Botanical name |
Aloe barberae |
Other names |
Aloe bainesii; boomaalwyn (Afrikaans) |
Family |
Asphodelaceae |
Dimensions |
Much-branched trees with prominent trunks, often over 15 m; tallest of the SA aloes |
Description of stem |
Can be over 2,5 m in diameter, usually with a broad 'foot' at ground level; bark even, grey-brown with a sandpapery roughness |
Description of leaves |
Dark green, smooth, recurving and longitudinally channelled; can be over a meter long on young plants, shorter on old trees; light-coloured edges with small teeth on the edges (only) |
Description of flowers |
Comparatively small and inconspicuous panicles of pinkish to orange flowers from May to August |
Description of seed/fruit |
Large green capsules |
Description of roots |
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Variation |
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Propagation and cultivation |
Grows easily from truncheons in different soil types; any stem with a rosette is likely to grow if planted in well-drained soil; the rosette is sometimes removed from a stem to induce the growth of multiple new branches, rosettes sprouting from the surface of the stem; once these are strong they are removed for transplanting |
Tolerances |
Not very drought or frost resistant |
Uses |
Sought after garden plant; becoming very common in parks and bigger gardens, fast-growing |
Ecological rarity |
Common, not threatened |
Pests and diseases |
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Other |
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Location |
Forest and coastal bush areas in warm and higher rainfall (above 750 mm p.a.) areas |
Distribution (SA provinces) |
Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga |
Country |
South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique |