Plate 151.
Reading edition
ALOE Schlechteri. Cape Province, Namaqualand.
Liliaceae. Tribe Aloineae. Aloe, Linn.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. iii. p. 776.
Aloe Schlechteri, Schonl. in Records Albany Mus. vol. i. p. 45.
This somewhat rare Aloe was first described by Dr. Schönland from material collected by Max Schlechter at Pella, S.W. Africa. The Division of Botany in 1921 received living specimens from Dr. W. Borchards of Upington, and these subsequently flowered at Pretoria.
Aloe Schlechteri is found growing on the bare veld. The short stems are decumbent and the rosette of leaves almost at right angles to the stems, giving the plant, when viewed from a little distance, an acaulescent appearance. The plants are invariably found in groups, and the individual plants are so arranged that the group forms a half-circle or sometimes a complete circle on the ground. The inflorescence appears to be always forked.
Our illustration was made from the specimens collected by Dr. Borchards.
Description:—Stem short decumbent with a dense rosette of leaves. Leaves somewhat incurved, up to 24 cm. long, up to 4 cm. broad near the base, lanceolate, acuminate, ending in a sharp spine, convex beneath, flat or slightly convex above, with the margins covered with prickles and a few prickles on the keel beneath near the apex; prickles about 1·2 cm. apart, straight or slightly incurved. Inflorescence branched into two arms; the common peduncle about 10 cm. long, bluntly 3-angled, naked; peduncle of arms up to lowermost flowers 9 cm. long, covered with a few membranous ovate acuminate bracts; raceme 15 cm. long, many-flowered. Pedicels 8 mm. long, erect. Youngest flowers tubular, erect, becoming later horizontal and at length pendulous and then clavate. Perianth-tube 1·8 cm. long, widening from the base upwards; inner lobes 1·2 cm. long, 8 mm. broad, lanceolate, obtuse, usually 5-nerved; outer lobes 1·6 cm. long, 8 mm. broad, oblong-lanceolate, obtuse, concave usually 3-nerved. Stamens 3·5 cm. long, at first included, at length exserted. Ovary 8 mm. long, 3-angled; style 1·6 cm. long, terete; stigma minute (National Herb. 2845).
Plate 151.—Fig. 1, flower; Fig. 2, median longitudinal section of flower; Fig. 3, perianth-segments; Fig. 4, stamen; Fig. 5, style.
F.P.S.A., 1924.
