IN THE WILD
Aloes: Tough-looking, but tender
A
loes are becoming
increasingly popular as
garden plants, but
despite their rugged looks
they are not all as hardy as
one might expect. So if you
want to plant aloes, it makes
sense to consider the aloes
that occur naturally on the
Highveld.
“Never underestimate frost!”
warns Gretchen Grenville of
Grow Wild nursery. “Many
people think that indigenous
plants are automatically hardy
to frost and drought and are
Aloe arborescens, or krantz aloe
low maintenance.” In reality,
the best we can hope for is
that the plants are frost
resistant, unless we are going
to protect them against harsh
Gauteng winters. And
considering many aloes
flower in autumn and winter
it would be a pity if we had
to wrap them up in frost
cloth.
In her booklet Indigenous
Hardy Highveld Plants,
Grenville suggests the
following aloes.
Aloe arborescens [krantz aloe,
kransaalwyn,
ikalene (Xhosa),
inkalane or
umhlabana
(Zulu)] has the
third widest
distribution of
any aloe in the
country.
It has large
beautiful
flowers, attractive foliage, a
decorative form and it is easy
to grow. It is an evergreen
shrub, which grows to 2m x
2m. It is fast growing in sun,
shade or semi-shade and the
orange flowers are very
welcome in winter. In many
parts of South Africa Aloe
arborescens is planted around
kraals enclosing domestic
stock , as a living fence or
thorny barrier. It is widely
used medicinally, the leaf sap
being particularly sought after
for burns.
Aloe greathedii var Davyana
[spotted aloe; T ransvaal -
aalwyn, grasaalwyn; kgopane
(Tswana)] is not a very striking
plant until it flowers ~ and
then it is spectacular. It is a
plant that will cheer up any
highveld garden in winter. In
the veld it often forms
extensive stands in
overgrazed areas and mass
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plantings are beautiful. It
provides good bee fodder,
too.
Trials have shown that this
species can be used success-
fully as a soil binder in
disturbed areas such as mine
dumps. The bitter sap in the
leaves is used medicinally for
the treatment of wounds,
Continued on page 27
Aloe greatheadii var Davyana