''Aloe polyphylla'', the spiral aloe, ''kroonaalwyn'', ''lekhala kharetsa'', or many-leaved aloe, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the genus '' Aloe'' that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the Kingdom of Lesotho in the

Drakensberg The Drakensberg (Afrikaans: Drakensberge, Zulu: uKhahlambha, Sotho: Maluti) is the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, which encloses the central Southern African plateau. The Great Escarpment reaches its greatest elevation – within t ...

mountains. An

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

succulent

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

, it is well known for its strikingly symmetrical, five-pointed spiral growth habit.

Name and taxonomy

''Aloe polyphylla'' is commonly known as the spiral aloe in English, ''kroonaalwyn'' in

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

, or ''lekhala kharetsa'' in

Sesotho Sotho () or Sesotho () or Southern Sotho is a Southern Bantu language of the Sotho–Tswana ("S.30") group, spoken primarily by the Basotho in Lesotho, where it is the national and official language; South Africa (particularly the Free ...

. The species epithet ''polyphylla'' means "many-leaved" in Greek. Taxonomically, it forms part of the ''Rhodacanthae'' series of very closely related '' Aloe'' species, together with '' Aloe glauca'', ''

Aloe lineata ''Aloe'' (; also written ''Aloë'') is a genus containing over 650 species of flowering succulent plants.WFO (2022): Aloe L. Published on the Internet;http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-4000001341. Accessed on: 06 Nov 2022 The most wid ...

'' and '' Aloe pratensis''.Reynolds, G.W. 1950. ''The aloes of Southern Africa.'' Balkema, Cape Town.

Description

''Aloe polyphylla'' is a stemless aloe and grows its leaves in a very distinctive spiral shape which may be clockwise or anti-clockwise. The plants do not seem to sucker or produce offshoots, but from the germination of their seeds they can form small, dense clumps. The fat, wide, serrated, gray-green leaves have sharp, dark leaf-tips and grow in the five spiral rows. This aloe flowers at the beginning of summer, producing flowers that range in colour from red to salmon pink and occasionally yellow, at the head of robust, branched inflorescences.

Habitat

The spiral aloe grows in high, mountainous, grassy slopes at altitudes between , and sometimes higher on east-facing slopes. Here it clings to rocky crevices and well-drained scree slopes. The climate is cool in the summer and in the winter the aloes are often covered in deep snow. The region also has a very high summer rainfall and this moisture is augmented by the clouds which engulf the Lesotho mountain peaks.

Conservation

The species is highly sought after as an ornamental but is difficult to cultivate and usually soon dies if removed from its natural habitat. In South Africa, it is a criminal offence to remove plants or seed of ''Aloe polyphylla'' from their natural habitat or to buy plants from roadside vendors. The species is listed on Appendix I of

CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

meaning commercial international trade is prohibited. In cultivation in the UK this plant has gained the

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 (Nor ...

’s Award of Garden Merit.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q140021 polyphylla Endemic flora of Lesotho