Aloe maculata All. subsp. maculata

Klopper, Ronell R., Crouch, Neil R., Smith, Gideon F. & van Wyk, Abraham E., 2020, A synoptic review of the aloes (Asphodelaceae, Alooideae) of KwaZulu-Natal, an ecologically diverse province in eastern South Africa, PhytoKeys 142, pp. 1-88 : 1

Aloe maculata All. subsp. maculata

Common names.

Common soap aloe (English); bontaalwyn (Afrikaans); amahlala, icena (isiZulu).

Description.

Acaulescent plants or with stem up to 0.5 m; rosettes solitary or suckering to form dense groups. Leaves densely rosulate, erectly spreading to slightly recurved, upper surface pale to darker green, with numerous, dull, white spots in irregular broken, wavy, transverse bands, lower surface paler green, obscurely lineate and usually without spots, ovate-lanceolate, up to 25-30 cm long, 8-12 cm wide, with dried twisted apex; margin with pungent, horny, brown teeth, 3-5 mm long, ± 10 mm apart; exudate clear. Inflorescence 0.4-1.0 m high, erect, branched. Racemes capitate-corymbose, 10-12 cm long, dense. Floral bracts ± 12-23 mm long, 3-5 mm wide. Pedicels 35-45 mm long. Flowers: perianth usually salmon pink to orange, sometimes yellow or red, 35-50 mm long, up to 10 mm across ovary, abruptly constricted above ovary to form sub-globose basal swelling, enlarging towards wide open mouth, cylindrical, slightly decurved; outer segments free for 10-15 mm; stamens exserted 1-3 mm; style exserted to 5 mm.

Flowering time.

June-September in the north, December-January in the south.

Habitat.

Variety of grasslands, scrub, thicket and on rocky outcrops.

Diagnostic characters.

Aloe maculata subsp. maculata can be distinguished from other maculate aloes in KwaZulu-Natal ( Aloe dewetii , Aloe mudenensis , Aloe parvibracteata , Aloe prinslooi , Aloe pruinosa , Aloe suffulta , Aloe umfoloziensis , Aloe vanrooyenii and Aloe viridiana ) by its branched inflorescence (0.4-1.0 m high) with flat-topped, capitate, dense racemes (up to 10-12 × 12-16 cm) and pedicels of 35-45 mm long. Flowers are usually salmon pink to orange, sometimes yellow or red, 35-50 mm long, with a sub-globose basal swelling (up to 10 mm diameter). Leaves are spreading to slightly recurved, up to 25-30 × 8-12 cm and spotted on the upper surface, with the paler lower surface obscurely lineate and usually without spots. Marginal teeth are 3-5 mm long.

Conservation status.

Least Concern ( Raimondo et al. 2009).

Distribution.

This subspecies is one of the most widely distributed of the spotted aloes. It occurs from the Cape Peninsula through the Western and Eastern Cape, into the eastern Free State, through KwaZulu-Natal to Mpumalanga, South Africa; also in Lesotho and Eswatini (Fig. 21 ).

Notes.

One other subspecies is recognised, namely A. maculata subsp. ficksburgensis (Reynolds) Gideon F.Sm. & Figueiredo, which is only known from the eastern Free State, South Africa and western Lesotho.

Figures

Figure 21. Aloe maculata subsp. maculata. Photo: N. R. Crouch.