''Aloidendron pillansii'', formerly ''Aloe pillansii'', the giant quiver tree or bastard quiver tree, is a large, branching species of

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 ...

indigenous 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 of ...

. It is regarded as critically endangered.

Description

''Aloidendron pillansii'' grows up to 15 m in height. It branches dichotomously, and superficially resembles ''Aloidendron dichotomum''. It can be distinguished by its paler, wider, recurved leaves, and its taller, more sparsely branched growth form. The branches are made of a fiber that is soft and penetrable, which allows them to store water. Because of its habitat, the ''Aloidendron pillansii'' can shed itself of its branches and leaves if they deem detrimental to its survival. Its round, bright yellow flowers are pendant, and hang down below the rosette (unlike those of the other tree aloes). They appear in Spring.

Distribution

It is found around the border between

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

and

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 ...

, where its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is upper mountain slopes, in the arid winter-rainfall

Richtersveld The Richtersveld is a desert landscape characterised by rugged kloofs and high mountains, situated in the north-western corner of South Africa’s Northern Cape province. It is full of changing scenery from flat, sandy, coastal plains, to crag ...

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

. It is severely threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

, illegal collecting, and livestock grazing. The species will not survive without intervention.

Cultivation

It rarely appears in cultivation, as it is an extremely slow growing species, and difficult to cultivate. It requires full sun, extremely well-drained rocky mineral soil, and very dry conditions. In habitat, it grows on rocky slopes in a desert region which receives its sparse rainfall predominantly in the winter.

References

* * * * * * *Vernon, Trail, Jesse. ''Quiver Trees, Phantom Orchids & Rock Splitters : The Remarkable Survival Strategies of Plants'', ECW Press, 2015. ''ProQuest Ebook Central'', *Duncan, J., Hoffman, T., Rohde, R. ''et al.'' Long-term population changes in the Giant Quiver Tree, ''Aloe pillansii'' in the Richtersveld, South Africa. ''Plant Ecol'' 185, 73–84 (2006). Asphodeloideae Flora of Namibia Flora of the Cape Provinces Critically endangered plants Trees of South Africa Drought-tolerant trees Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Asphodelaceae-stub