''Aloiampelos striatula'', formerly ''Aloe striatula'', the hardy aloe or striped-stemmed aloe,
is a sturdy
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 ...
that naturally occurs on the summits of mountains along the south of the
Karoo
The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe !Orakobab or Khoemana word ''ǃ’Aukarob'' "Hardveld") is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its ext ...
region 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 ...
. Tough and hardy, with bright yellow flowers, it is also cultivated as a garden ornamental.
Description
''Aloiampelos striatula'' is a robust rambling plant that can form a large shrub up to 2 m in height. It is closely related to
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
's ''
Aloiampelos commixta
''Aloiampelos commixta'' is a flowering plant in the Asphodelaceae family. It is commonly called Table Mountain aloe, and is a rare succulent plant that is endemic to the Cape Peninsula, South Africa. It naturally occurs only on the Table Moun ...
'', but it is easily distinguished from it by the distinctive dark green stripes on the stems and leaf sheaths (its species name, ''striatula'', means "little stripes"), and by its thin, recurved leaves (which, like its flowers, are more densely packed). The leaves of ''Aloiampelos striatula'' are dark green and strongly recurved, with numerous small white teeth along their margins.
The flowers are reddish-orange and appear densely on tall (40cm), un-branched, cone-shaped
raceme
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
s throughout the summer.
The unique variety ''caesia'' of this species - found only around
Molteno
Molteno (; lmo, label= Brianzöö, Mültée) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and a hill-top town in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about southwest of Lecco. As of 31 December 2004, it h ...
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 ...
- has lighter grey-green leaves and bright yellow flowers.
Distribution
''Aloiampelos striatula'' naturally occurs in the mountains of the
Karoo
The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe !Orakobab or Khoemana word ''ǃ’Aukarob'' "Hardveld") is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its ext ...
region 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 ...
, between the towns of Graaf-reinet and Queenstown 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 ...
, extending into the
Free State and
Lesotho
Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...
.
[ It is very tough and hardy however and has been planted widely in gardens - in South Africa and around the world.
Although closest to the rare and unique '']Aloiampelos commixta
''Aloiampelos commixta'' is a flowering plant in the Asphodelaceae family. It is commonly called Table Mountain aloe, and is a rare succulent plant that is endemic to the Cape Peninsula, South Africa. It naturally occurs only on the Table Moun ...
'' of Table Mountain, ''Aloiampelos striatula'' is part of a genus, ''Aloiampelos
''Aloiampelos'' (combination of 'Aloe' and 'ampelos'=vine or creeper), formerly ''Aloe'' ser. ''Macrifoliae'' (the climbing-aloes) is a genus of succulent plants in the subfamily Asphodeloideae, comprising seven species found in Southern Africa. ...
'', that grows throughout Southern Africa. Other species in this group are: '' Aloiampelos ciliaris'', '' Aloiampelos tenuior'', '' Aloiampelos gracilis'', '' Aloiampelos juddii'', '' Aloiampelos decumbens'', and of course ''A. commixta'' and ''A. striatula'' itself.
Cultivation
One of the hardiest of aloes and relatives, it will tolerate a wide range of conditions, and is even known commonly as the "hardy aloe". It will tolerate much colder temperatures than most aloes and relatives, including frost and even some light snow, but it prefers full sun and well-drained soil. In the Eastern Cape it is often planted along the boundaries of kraals, as it naturally forms a well-shaped and hardy hedge. Like other climbing aloes, it can easily be propagated by cuttings(truncheons) as well as by seed.
The plant's Latin species epithet ''"striatula"'' means "little stripes", and refers to the thin dark-green stripes that can be seen on the plant's leaf sheath
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...
s. Due to their similar species names, ''striatula'' is often confused in literature with the similarly named ''Aloe striata
''Aloe striata'', with the common name coral aloe, is a small, stemless South African Aloe species.
Distribution
This species occurs quite widely over the southern parts of the Cape Floristic Region, in the Eastern Cape Province and Western Cape ...
'' ("coral aloe").Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...
’s Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
History
The Award of Garden Merit ...
.
Gallery
File:Aloe striatula - detail of striped stem.jpg, Detail of striped stem
File:Aloe striatula 2.jpg
File:Aloe striatula 3.jpg
File:Aloe striatula 4.jpg
See also
* ''Aloiampelos commixta
''Aloiampelos commixta'' is a flowering plant in the Asphodelaceae family. It is commonly called Table Mountain aloe, and is a rare succulent plant that is endemic to the Cape Peninsula, South Africa. It naturally occurs only on the Table Moun ...
''
* '' Aloiampelos decumbens''
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q42729483, from2=Q6809709
Asphodeloideae
Flora of the Cape Provinces
Flora of the Free State
Flora of Lesotho
Garden plants of Southern Africa