Genus: Aloe

Life > eukaryotes > Archaeoplastida > Chloroplastida > Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants) > Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants) > Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering plants) > Monocotyledons > Order: Asparagales > Family: Xanthorrhoeaceae

About 500 species, native to Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Socotra and Madagascar, and naturalised in Australia, the Mediterranean, India, China, South America and the Caribean Islands. A total of 138 species are native to southern Africa, one species is naturalised and a further seven species are cultivated in the region. Previously in the Asphodelaceae, which has been sunk under Xanthorrhoeaceae.

Species native to southern Africa

List from Plants of Southern Africa - an Online Checklist (SANBI), Flora of Zimbabwe and Flora of Mozambique.

Aloe aculeata
Aloe affinis
Aloe africana
Aloe albida
Aloe aloides
Aloe angelica
Aloe angolensis
Aloe arborescens
Aloe arenicola
Aloe argenticauda
Aloe aristata
Aloe asperifolia
Aloe ballii Recorded from Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Aloe barberae
Aloe bowiea
Aloe branddraaiensis
Aloe brevifolia
Aloe broomii
Aloe buettneri
Aloe buhrii
Aloe cameronii Recorded from Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Aloe carnea Recorded from Zimbabwe.
Aloe castanea
Aloe chabaudii
Aloe chlorantha
Aloe chortolirioides
Aloe christianii Recorded from Zimbabwe.
Aloe ciliaris
Aloe claviflora
Aloe collina Recorded from Zimbabwe.
Aloe commixta
Aloe comosa
Aloe cooperi
Aloe corallina
Aloe cryptopoda
Aloe dabenorisana
Aloe decurva Recorded from Mozambique.
Aloe dewetii
Aloe dewinteri
Aloe dichotoma (Kokerboom, Quiver tree)
Aloe dinteri
Aloe dominella
Aloe dyeri
Aloe ecklonis [= Aloe kraussii]
Aloe erinacea
Aloe excelsa
Aloe falcata
Aloe ferox
Aloe fosteri
Aloe fouriei
Aloe gariepensis
Aloe gerstneri
Aloe glauca
Aloe globuligemma
Aloe gracilis
Aloe grandidentata
Aloe greatheadii
Aloe greenii
Aloe haemanthifolia
Aloe hardyi
Aloe hazeliana Recorded from Zimbabwe.
Aloe hereroensis
Aloe humilis
Aloe inconspicua
Aloe integra
Aloe inyangensis Recorded from Zimbabwe.
Aloe kaokoensis Endemic to the Kaokoveld in northwestern Namibia and recently described by van Jaarsveld et al. (2006).
Aloe kniphofioides
Aloe kouebokkeveldensis
Aloe krapohliana
Aloe linearifolia
Aloe lineata
Aloe littoralis
Aloe longistyla
Aloe lutescens
Aloe maculata
Aloe marlothii
Aloe melanacantha
Aloe meyeri
Aloe micracantha
Aloe microstigma
Aloe minima
Aloe modesta
Aloe monotropa
Aloe mudenensis
Aloe munchii Recorded from Zimbabwe.
Aloe musapana Recorded from Zimbabwe.
Aloe myriacantha
Aloe namibensis
Aloe nubigena
Aloe omavandae
Aloe ortholopha (Dyke aloe) Recorded from Zimbabwe.
Aloe pachygaster
Aloe parvibracteata
Aloe pearsonii
Aloe peglerae
Aloe perfoliata
Aloe petricola
Aloe pictifolia
Aloe pillansii
Aloe plicatilis
Aloe plowesii Recorded from Zimbabwe.
Aloe pluridens
Aloe polyphylla
Aloe pratensis
Aloe pretoriensis
Aloe prinslooi
Aloe pruinosa
Aloe ramosissima
Aloe reitzii
Aloe reynoldsii
Aloe rhodesiana Recorded from Zimbabwe.
Aloe rupestris
Aloe saundersiae
Aloe simii
Aloe sladeniana
Aloe soutpansbergensis
Aloe speciosa
Aloe spicata
Aloe striata
Aloe striatula
Aloe succotrina (Fynbos aloe)
Aloe suffulta
Aloe suprafoliata
Aloe swynnertonii
Aloe tauri Recorded from Zimbabwe.
Aloe tenuior
Aloe thompsoniae
Aloe thorncroftii
Aloe thraskii
Aloe vanbalenii
Aloe vanrooyenii
Aloe variegata
Aloe verecunda
Aloe viridiflora
Aloe vossii
Aloe vryheidensis
Aloe wildii Recorded from Zimbabwe.
Aloe zebrina

Species naturalised in southern Africa

List from Plants of Southern Africa - an Online Checklist (SANBI).

Other species, cultivated in southern Africa

List from Glen (2002).

Aloe abyssicola Native to Arabia.
Aloe albiflora Native to Madagascar.
Aloe bellatula Native to Madagascar.
Aloe forbesii Native to tropical Africa.
Aloe parvula Native to Madagascar.
Aloe peckii Native to tropical Africa.
Aloe vera Native to Sudan.

Publications

• Barker, N.P., Kruger, L.Y., Vlok, J.H. & Harley, E.H. 1996. RAPD data suggest the Gamkapoort Aloe to be of hybrid origin. South African Journal of Botany 62: 292–295.
• Brandham, P.E. & Carter, S. [=Carter Holmes, S.] 1990. A revision of the Aloe tidmarshii/A. ciliaris complex in South Africa. Kew Bulletin 45: 637–645.
• Dagne, E., Bisrat, D., Van Wyk, B.-E., Viljoen, A.M., Hellwig, G. & Steglich, W. 1997. Anthrones from Aloe microstigma. Phytochemistry 44: 1271–1274.
• Dagne, E., Van Wyk, B.-E., Stephensen, D. & Steglich, W. 1996. Three oxanthrones from Aloe littoralis. Phytochemistry 42: 1683–1687.
• Glen, H.F. 1987. Aloe hardii. Flowering Plants of Africa 49: t.1942.
• Glen, H.F. 1988. Aloe plicatilis. Flowering Plants of Africa 50: t.1972.

• Glen, H.F. 2002. Cultivated plants of southern Africa. Jacana, Johannesburg.

• Glen, H.F. & Craib, C. 1993. Aloe haemanthifolia. Flowering Plants of Africa 52: t.2063.
• Glen, H.F. & Hardy, D.S. 1986. Aloe thorncroftii. Flowering Plants of Africa 49: t.1936.
• Glen, H.F. & Hardy, D.S. 1986. A method for the nondestructive examination of leaves of Aloe species by SEM. Bothalia 16: 53–55.
• Glen, H.F. & Hardy, D.S. 1987. Aloe cooperi subsp. pulchra. Flowering Plants of Africa 49: t.1944.
• Glen, H.F. & Hardy, D.S. 1987. Aloe marlotthii subsp. orientalis. Flowering Plants of Africa 49: t.1943.
• Glen, H.F. & Hardy, D.S. 1987. Nomenclatural notes on three southern African representatives of the genus Aloe. South African Journal of Botany 53: 489–492.
• Glen, H.F. & Hardy, D.S. 1990. Aloe albida. Flowering Plants of Africa 51: t.2010.
• Glen, H.F. & Hardy, D.S. 1990. Aloe cameronii var. bondana. Flowering Plants of Africa 51: t.2011.
• Glen, H.F. & Hardy, D.S. 1990. Aloe gerstneri. Flowering Plants of Africa 51: t.2008.
• Glen, H.F. & Hardy, D.S. 1991. Notes on African plants: Liliaceae (Asphodelaceae). The type specimen of Aloe soutpansbergensis. Bothalia 21: 151–152.
• Glen, H.F. & Hardy, D.S. 1992. Aloe meyeri. Flowering Plants of Africa 52: t.2065.
• Glen, H.F. & Hardy, D.S. 1995. Aloe section Anguialoe and the problem of Aloe spicata L.f. (Aloaceae). Haseltonia 3: 92–103.
• Glen, H.F. & Smith, G.F. 1995. Notes on the typification of some species of Aloe (Asphodelaceae/Aloaceae). Bothalia 25: 37–42.
• Glen, H.F., Smith, G.F. & Hardy, D.S. 1995. Notes on African plants: Asphodelaceae/Aloaceae: typification of Aloe species described by B.H. Groenewald. Bothalia 25: 97–99.
• Hardy, D.S. & Glen, H.F. 1987. Aloe fouriei. Flowering Plants of Africa 49: t.1941.
• Holzapfel, C.W., Wessels, P.L., Van Wyk, B.-E., Marais, W. & Portwig, M. 1997. Chromone and aloin derivatives from Aloe broomii, A. africana and A. speciosa. Phytochemistry 45: 97–102.
• Marx, G. 1986. Aloe pratensis. Aloe 23: 89.
• Rebelo, A.G., Holmes, P.M., Hilton-Taylor, C., Samper, C., Knight, R.S., Kurzweil, H. & Pabst, P. 1989. Branching patterns in Aloe dichotoma—is A. ramosissima a separate species? Madoqua 16: 23–26.

• Reynolds, G.W. 1950. The Aloes of South Africa. The Trustees of the The Aloes of South Africa Book Fund, Johannesburg (also 1969, 1974 and 1982 editions).

• Smith, G.F. 1990. Nomenclatural notes on the subsection Bowieae in Aloe (Asphodelaceae: Alooideae). South African Journal of Botany 56: 303–308.
• Smith, G.F. 1993. Notes on the taxonomic and conservation status of Aloe micracantha (Asphodelaceae: Alooideae). Haseltonia 1: 55–60.
• Smith, G.F. & Correia, R.I. De S. 1988. Notes on the ecesis of Aloe davyana (Asphodelaceae: Alooideae) in seed-beds and under natural conditions. South African Journal of Science 84: 873.
• Smith, G.F. & Correia, R.I. De S. 1992. Establishment of Aloe greatheadii var. davyana from seed for use in reclamation trials. Landscape and Urban Planning 23: 47–54.

• Smith, G.F. and Crouch, N.R. 2006. Aloe vanrooyenii: a distinctive new maculate aloe from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Bothalia 36(1): 73-75.

• Smith, G.F., Glen. H.F., Van Wyk, A.E. & Condy, G. 1994. Aloe bowiea. Flowering Plants of Africa 53: 80– 85.
• Smith, G.F. & Van Wyk, A.E. 1990. Notes on the distribution and habitat of Aloe bowiea (Liliaceae/Asphodelaceae: Alooideae), an endangered and little-known species from the eastern Cape. Bothalia 20: 123–125.
• Smith, G.F. & Van Wyk, A.E. 1993. Notes on the pollen morphology and taxonomy of Aloe bowiea (Asphodelaceae: Alooideae). Madoqua 18: 93–99.
• Smith, G.F., Van Wyk, B.-E. & Glen. H.F. 1994. Asphodelaceae/Aloaceae: Aloe barberae to replace A. bainesii. Bothalia 24: 34–35.
• Smith, G.F., Van Wyk, B.-E., Mössmer, M. & Viljoen, A.M. 1995. The taxonomy of Aloinella, Guillauminia and Lemeea (Aloaceae). Taxon 44: 513– 517.
• Steyn, E.M.A., Smith, G.F., Nilsson, S. & Grafström, E. 1998. Pollen morphology in Aloe L. Grana 37: 23–27.
• Van der Bank, F.H. & Van Wyk, B.-E. 1996. Biochemical genetic markers to identify hybrids between Aloe arborescens and A. ferox (Aloaceae). South African Journal of Botany 62: 328–331.
• Van der Bank, F.H., Van Wyk, B.-E. & Van der Bank, M. 1995. Genetic variation in two economically important Aloe species (Aloaceae). Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 23: 251–256.
• Van Heerden, F.R., Van Wyk, B.-E. & Viljoen, A.M. 1996. Aloeresins E and F, two chromone derivatives from Aloe peglerae. Phytochemistry 43: 867–869.
• Van Jaarsveld, E.J. 1981. Aloe meyeri Van Jaarsveld—a new Aloe from the northwest Cape (RSA). Journal of South African Botany 47: 567–571.
• Van Jaarsveld, E.J. 1982. Aloe dabenorisana Van Jaarsveld: a new Aloe from the northwest Cape (RSA). Journal of South African Botany 48: 419–424.
• Van Jaarsveld, E.J. 1985. Aloe komaggasensis: a new species from the northwest Cape (RSA). South African Journal of Botany 51: 287–289.

• Van Jaarsveld, E.J., Swanepoel, W. and van Wyk, A.E. 2006. Aloe kaokoensis, a new species from the Kaokoveld, Northwestern Namibia. Bothalia 36(1): 75-77.

• Van Wyk, B.-E. & Smith, G.F. 1996. Guide to the aloes of South Africa. Briza Publications, Pretoria. 302 pp.
• Van Wyk, B.-E., Van Oudtshoorn, M.C.B. & Smith, G.F. 1995. Geographical variation in the major compounds of Aloe ferox leaf exudate. Planta Medica 61: 250–253.
• Van Wyk, B.-E., Yenesew, A. & Dagne, E. 1995. Chemotaxonomic survey of anthraquinones and preanthraquinones in the roots of Aloe species. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 23: 267–275.
• Venter, H.J.T. & Beukes, G.H. 1982. A new species of Aloe (Liliaceae) from South Africa. Kew Bulletin 36: 675–678.
• Viljoen, A.M., Van Wyk, B.-E. et al. 1996. The evolution of aloes—new clues from their leaf chemistry. Aloe 33: 30–33.
• Viljoen, A.M., Van Wyk, B.-E. & Dagne, E. 1996. The chemotaxonomic value of 10-hydroxyaloin and its derivatives in Aloe series Asperifoliae. Kew Bulletin 51: 159–168.
• Viljoen, A.M., Van Wyk, B.-E., Van der Bank, F.H. & Smith, G.F. 1996. A biochemical and chemical evaluation of the species concept of Aloe candelabrum (Aloaceae). Taxon 45: 461–471.
• Vorster, P.J. 1983. Aloe meyeri Van Jaarsveld, and A. richtersveldensis Venter & Beukes. Journal of South African Botany 49: 175.
• Wessels, P.L., Holzapfel, C.W., Van Wyk, B.-E. & Marais, W. 1996. Plicataloside, an O,O-diglycosylated naphthalene derivative from Aloe plicatilis. Phytochemistry 41: 1547–1551.