Botanical name |
Aloe pictifolia |
Other names |
Kouga aloe |
Family |
Asphodelaceae |
Dimensions |
A dwarf aloe with up to seven small rosettes from one stem; about 35 cm in height including the inflorescence |
Description of stem |
Curved, creeping or hanging, depending of the position among the rocks or cliff |
Description of leaves |
Variable but grey-green in well-watered conditions, pink in dry conditions or in harsh sun; the densely spotted leaves on both surfaces are long (up to 15 cm) and narrow (2,5 cm at the base), but thick (front to back); small reddish teeth occur on the edges only; the leaves recurve, but often in varying ways on the same rosette, with some curving inward and a few sideways; the leaf tip is sharp |
Description of flowers |
Single raceme with erect flowers, conical, dull-red perianths only about 1,5 cm in length; flowering in winter to spring, sometimes out of season; pollinated by sunbirds |
Desciption of seed/fruit |
Capsules 1,5 cm in length, seeds angular and dark |
Description of roots |
|
Variation |
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Propagation and cultivation |
Easy to grow from seeds or offsets, suitable as a container plant |
Tolerances |
Copes with cold, possibly with some drought |
Uses |
Currently gaining as a garden plant |
Ecological rarity |
Not threatened, but the natural habitat is not large |
Pests and diseases |
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Other |
Pictifolia means 'painted leaves' |
Location |
Rocky, quartzite cliffs and outcrops of the Kouga mountains |
Distribution (SA provinces) |
Eastern Cape |
Country |
South Africa |