Plate 41. ALOE Wickensii. Transvaal.

Liliaceae. Tribe Aloineae.

Aloe, Linn.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. iii. p. 776.

Aloe Wickensii, Pole Evans in Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Afr. vol. v. p. 29, Pls. 8, 9.

This is one of the most beautiful and showy of the South Africa species of Aloe. Specimens were collected by Messrs. Wickens and Pienaar in M‘Phathlele’s Location in the Northern Transvaal, in January, 1914. The species is also found widely distributed in the Oliphants River Bushveld. It is now established in the Garden of the Division of Botany, Pretoria, and in the latter part of July and August when in flower is a source of great admiration to visitors.

In general appearance and habit of growth this Aloe closely resembles A. Pienaarii from the same locality, figured in vol. i. of this work (Plate 27), but it is more commonly found on gentle slopes in bush country, although it may frequently occur in open ground along with A. Pienaarii. When the plants are not in flower, those of A. Wickensii can be distinguished from A. Pienaarii by their paler green leaves, which are distinctly incurved.

We propose the name “Wickens’ Aloe” for this species.

Specimens are preserved in the National Herbarium, Pretoria (Herb. No. 1449).

Description:—A stemless succulent herb. Leaves pale glaucous-green, 40-50 in a dense rosette, 50-70 cm. long, 10-13 cm. broad at the base, lanceolate-ensiform, erect, distinctly incurved, rather flat above, convex beneath, beset on the margins with small deltoid black prickles about 2 mm. long and about 6-8 mm. apart. Inflorescences often 2-4 from the same rosette, spreading. Peduncle laterally compressed, naked, with usually two lateral branches, branches arcuateerect, clothed with pale brown scariose broadly ovate-acuminate bracts. Raceme dense-flowered, 17-20 cm. long, conical-cylindric. Bracts reflexed, 5-6 mm. long, ovate-cuspidate, scariose, pellucid. Pedicels recurved, 3-4 mm. long. Perianth 3·5 cm. long, cylindric-ventricose; outer segments free for 16-17 mm., obtuse and recurved at the apex, 3-5-nerved; inner segments obtuse and recurved, 3-nerved. Stamens projecting 11 mm. beyond the perianth and slightly recurved. Style stout, strongly recurved. Fruit 2·5 cm. long, 1·3 cm. in diameter, oblong-ovoid.

Plate 41.—Fig. 1, entire plant, much reduced; Fig. 2, raceme; Fig. 3, portion of leaf; Fig. 4, transverse section of leaf; Fig. 5, bract; Fig. 6, open flower; Fig. 7, fruit showing remains of perianth attached.

F.P.S.A., 1922.

M. Page del.