Aloe cooperi, also known as Cooper's aloe
and as ''iPutumane'' in
Zulu, is a succulent species that is endemic to
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number o ...
. It has significant cultural and economic value to the
Zulu people
Zulu people (; zu, amaZulu) are a Nguni ethnic group native to Southern Africa. The Zulu people are the largest ethnic group and nation in South Africa, with an estimated 10–12 million people, living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Nata ...
of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
.
Distribution
This plant can be found along the southern warm coastal parts of
Kwazulu-Natal and north up to the colder mountainous regions of
Eswatini and
Mpumalanga.
Uses
* Young shoots and flowers are often cooked and eaten as vegetables by the Zulu people, they also believe that smoke from burning leaves in the cattle
kraal will prevent the effects on cattle of eating improper food.
* The plant's juice has been fed to horses to rid them of ticks.
* The plant attracts nectar feeding birds, this made it a popular garden plant in South Africa.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1454768
cooperi
Taxa named by John Gilbert Baker