256 



ALOE 



ALOE 



170. A good pot plant of aloe, 

 showing the offsets. 



aloes" is the product of A. vera, a species much planted 

 in the West Indies. Genera allied to Aloe are Apicra, 

 Gasteria, Haworthia, Pachidendron, and Phylloma. 

 The group is difficult for the botanist, there being few 

 authentic specimens in the herbaria, because of the large 

 size of the plants, the infrequent flowering, and the 

 difficulty of suitably drying them. Monograph by 

 Alwin Berger in Das Pflanzenreich, 1908, hft. 33. 



Propagation is by seed, which usually is not true to 

 name, and by suckers or cuttings well dried-off. Branch- 

 ing for this purpose 

 may be induced by 

 scaring the crown of 

 ^old plants. Hybrids 

 between the differ- 

 ent species and with 

 related genera 

 are easily se- 

 cured and in- 

 teresting. 



Aloes are much 

 cultivated as dec- 

 orative plants, 

 being amongst the 

 most popular of 

 desert and succu- 

 lent plants for their 

 stiff, harsh and 

 rugged habit. Fie. 

 170. They are often grouped about large public bu'ld- 

 ings, where they emphasize certain architectural fea- 

 tures. Large collections are to be seen only in botanic 

 gardens and in the collections of a few fanciers. The 

 largest dealer has nearly one hundred kinds, but grows 

 only five or six kinds in quantity. 



Old plants of Aloe will keep healthy for several years 

 in the same pots without a renewal of soil, and flower 

 freely at the same time. The soil most suited to their 

 needs is sandy loam three parts, lime rubble and broken 

 brick one part, with a little decayed manure to strengthen 

 the mixture. Very firm potting is necessary. Drainage 

 is a more important item than soil, and must be per- 

 fectly arranged to enable the surplus water to run freely 

 from the soil. Broken bricks are preferable to pieces of 

 pots, large pieces for the bottom of the pot or tub, and 

 smaller pieces above, till the last layer is quite fine. 

 Some of the species need freer rooting conditions than 

 others. A. ciliaris will grow from 5 to 7 feet in a season. 

 A. abyssinica is of robust growth, and differs from 

 most others in the color of the flowers, which are pure 

 yellow, the others being mostly orange and orange- 

 scarlet. A. plicatilis makes an ornamental tub plant 

 when 4 or 5 feet high. Except during the period in which 

 the species are in active growth, they need very little 

 water, the principal idea being to keep the soil sweet 

 and porous even when in growth. At all times the 

 air of the house should be as dry as possible, full sun- 

 shine not hurting them. Propagation is by seeds, suck- 

 ers and cuttings. The arborescent kinds should be 

 rooted after they have completed growth. Dust over 

 the cut part of the cutting with powdered charcoal and 

 dry in sunshine before putting it in to root. Insert 

 singly in as small pots as they will go into, and plunge 

 in a sand-bed. Very little moisture is necessary while 

 rooting. (G. W. Oliver.) 



INDEX. 



INDEX, CONTINUED. 



A. Lvs. clustered, rather few and thin, flaccidly erect, 



linear, concave, smooth, finely serrulate: st. very 

 short: infl. unbranched; fits, oblong or narrowed 

 upward; stamens included. (14.) 



B. Raceme short; pedicels elongated; fls. with distinct segms. 



c. Lvs. tanked. 



1. Codperi, Baker (A. Schmidtiana, Regel). Some- 

 what cespitose: Ivs. 1-2 x 12-40 in., faintly striate, 

 somewhat white-blotched: infl. 1-2 ft. high; fls. nodding, 

 1/4-1/4 in- long? yellowish or greenish white, rosy at 

 base, with distinct green-tipped segm. Cape. B.M. 

 6377. Gt. 970. Lyon Hort. 22, p. 305. Wood & Evans, 

 Natal PL 41. 



cc. Lvs. spirally arranged. 



2. micracantha, Haw. Lys. H x 18 in. : infl. 1 ft. 

 high; fls. nodding, l%-l/4 in. long; red, the distinct 

 segm. green above or tipped and lined with green. Cape. 

 B.M. 2272. Salm, Aloe 21, f. 1. 



3. minima, Baker. Lvs. }^x6-8 in.: infl. 6-12 or 

 even 30 in. high; fls. spreading, %!% in. long, green- 

 ish white or the distinct segm. rosy tinged. Cape. 

 Hook. Icon. 2423. Wood, Natal PI. 338. 



BB. Raceme elongated; pedicels short; fls. spreading or 

 ascending: Ivs. spirally arranged. 



4. kniphofioides, Baker. Lvs. % x 12-15 in.: infl. 

 2 ft. high; fls. ascending, 1^ in. long, pale red, with 

 very short segm. and long tube. Cape. Hook. Icon. 

 1939. 



AA. Lvs. spirally rosulate (3-ranked in A. variegata), 

 fleshy, acute or pungent: stamens little protruded. (5-26.) 

 B. Plants small: Ivs. 3-8 in. long: st. never tall: infl. 



racemose; pedicels long; fls. nearly cylindrical. 



c. The Ivs. bristle-tipped, soft-toothed and warty: raceme 



rather short. 



5. aristata, Haw. (A. langiaristata, R. & S.). Lys. 

 erect, triangular-lanceolate, % x 3-4 in., with a whip- 



