IN THE WILD
Aloe marlothii
From page 23
sores and burns.
Aloe marlothii [mountain
aloe; bergalwyn; inhlaba or
umhlaba (Zulu)] makes the
top five flowering winter aloes
list. This large, evergreen aloe
is usually single stemmed. It is
frost resistant, drought
resistant and is happy in the
full sun or semi shade. The
orange flowers have a
distinctive horizontal/slanted
shape.
Children suck the sweet
nectar from the flowers,
which attract birds and
butterflies. The leaves, roots
and sap are all used medici-
nally. This is an architectural
plant that will be a focal point
in a garden.
Aloe verecunda [Modest Aloe]
is commonly found along
rocky ridges and rocky slopes
on the Witwatersrand and
Magaliesberg. With its striking
orange-red flowers and
grasslike leaves, it is an
attractive deciduous grassland
aloe. The flowers produce
nectar which attracts nectar-
feeding sunbirds , which in
turn act as pollinators for the
plant.
Aloe zebrina [zebra leaf aloe,
spotted aloe] is listed in the
top five autumn flowering
aloe. Aloe zebrina is a small,
variable, compact succulent.
Succulents are plants that are
able to store water in their
stems, leaves or roots, and so
enabl e the plant to survive in Aloe verecunda
arid conditions and in times
a bird or an insect acciden-
of drought or water defi-
tally deposits pollen from one
ciency.
species on the flower(s) of
The habitat of Aloe zebrina is
Continued on page 28
normally dry thickets and may
include marshy meadows on
river banks. It suckers freely
and therefore forms dense
groups. Blooms are mainly
found from February to May,
but also June to August. The
roots are used as yellow dye
to colour baskets.
Aloes are interesting from
another point of view:
wherever different Aloe
species flower together in the
wild one is likely to find
natural hybrids.
Hybridisation happens when
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Aloe zebrina