''Aloiampelos gracilis'', formerly ''Aloe gracilis'', the rocket aloe, is a

succulent plant In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

, endemic to dry thicket vegetation around the city of

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

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 ...

. Its natural range lies just to the west of the related ''

Aloiampelos ciliaris ''Aloiampelos ciliaris'', formerly ''Aloe ciliaris'', the common climbing-aloe, is a thin, tough, rapidly growing succulent plant from South Africa. Appearance They can be differentiated from other ''Aloiampelos'' species by the way that the so ...

'', and it occurs in bushy

fynbos Fynbos (; meaning fine plants) is a small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation located in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. This area is predominantly coastal and mountainous, with a Mediterranean clim ...

and dry thickets, and clustered on rocky outcrops at all altitudes. Its range extends westwards into the Baviaanskloof mountains.

Description

Aloe gracilis - multi-stemmed flower racemes

Its thin stems grow tall and erect from its base on the ground, often reaching 2 m in length, and branching near the base. When it is not climbing on other vegetation or fences, the mass of semi-erect stems forms a shrubby bush. Its narrow, succulent leaves are dull-green with tiny, soft, white teeth along the margins, and it normally flowers from May, through to August. It can easily be distinguished from other species in the genus by its long (45 mm), thin, bright red

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s which appear on multi-branched racemes. Aloe gracilis climbing aloe rosette 8

Distribution

''Aloiampelos gracilis'' is naturally restricted to a relatively small area around the city of

in the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

, and extends westwards into the Baviaanskloof mountains. This region is a transition zone in the Cape Floral Kingdom, between the

Fynbos vegetation Fynbos (; meaning fine plants) is a small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation located in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. This area is predominantly coastal and mountainous, with a Mediterranean cl ...

of the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

, and the

Albany thickets The Albany thickets is an ecoregion of dense woodland in southern South Africa, which is concentrated around the Albany region of the Eastern Cape (whence the region's name originates). Geography The thickets grow on well-drained sandy soils in ...

of the

. ''Aloiampelos gracilis'' is adapted to this transitional fynbos, though due to its popularity as an ornamental garden plant it is now also grown in gardens around southern Africa. Due to its natural vegetation being prone to seasonal fires, this plant has evolved the ability to re-sprout from its rootstock after being burnt.

Relatives and subspecies

The rare and declining Langeberg rambling-aloe, ''

Aloiampelos decumbens ''Aloiampelos decumbens'', formerly ''Aloe decumbens'', the Langeberg rambling-aloe, is a sprawling, succulent plant that is endemic to the fynbos vegetation of the Langeberg Mountains near Swellendam and Riversdale, Western Cape, Riversdale in t ...

'', which grows far to the west in the

Langeberg mountains The Langeberg Range is a mountain range in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its highest peak is Keeromsberg at 2,075 m that lies 15 km northeast of the town of Worcester. Some of the highest peaks of the range are located just to ...

in the

, is sometimes described as being merely an isolated subspecies of ''Aloiampelos gracilis''. Aside from ''A. decumbens'', this plant's closest relative is ''

Aloiampelos striatula ''Aloiampelos striatula'', formerly ''Aloe striatula'', the hardy aloe or striped-stemmed aloe, is a sturdy succulent plant that naturally occurs on the summits of mountains along the south of the Karoo region of South Africa. Tough and hardy, wi ...

'', a larger and more robust plant that occurs further inland in the

mountains. However ''Aloiampelos gracilis'' can easily be distinguished by its erect (rather than recurved) leaves, its sparse, multi-branched racemes of red flowers, and its relatively thinner stem. Its species name ''"gracilis"'' means "slender", and refers to the plant's thin, graceful stems.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q42729469, from2=Q253924 Asphodeloideae

Description

Distribution

Relatives and subspecies

See also

References