50 



ALOE 



yellow, most of tlip otlipr« l>pine nraiiffp ami orange- 

 scarlet. A. plicdtili.i liiiik.-^ ;iil ..nialiu-lital tiili I'lallt 

 when 4 or5 ft. hiKli. I'.\i-i|,t dumiu' tin- ihiim,! in which 

 the species are inarTi\.- ^n-.-w tli. Tlti\ m-i-ii \.i-y little 

 water, the principal iil. a l»iiiu' to kr.-ji thr mhI sweet 

 and porous even when in growth. At all times the 

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

 sunshine not hurting them. Prop, by seeds, suck- 

 ers and cuttings. The arborescent kinds should be 



rooted after they hav >miilitfcl growth. Dust over 



the cut part of the luttiii^' with powdered charcoal and 

 dry in sunshine la foic pnttini; it in to root. Insert 

 singly in as small pot,- :i> tiny will go into, and plunge 

 in a sand bed. Very little moisture is necessary while 

 rooting. G. W. Oliver. 



The generic or scientific name Aloe is a Latinized 

 form of an Arabic name. As an English word it is pro- 

 nounced in two syllables, tlriJ. \' }•-.'•. p..] i;!rirlv this 



word is loosely used, the i-on ; \ ■■■■■; \!ii i.- ing 



Agave Americana, the < ■ ■ , . I mt." 



The "bitter aloe.s" of conuu, i , , : , , . . u.wh 



used as a laxative. Theb<---t ijn ili- ■, i- ..ill.'l > trine 



or Zanzibar Aloes," a prodm/t of .1. Ptrryi, which was 

 known by the Greeks of the Fourth century B.C. to 

 come from the island of Socotra. The " Barbadoes Aloes " 

 is the ]iro(luct of .1. nni, a species much planted in 

 th. \\(-i 111. I),-. I,, III 11 allied to Aloe are Apicra, Gas- 

 ti.ii II . I I Ml iidron, and Phylloma. The 

 L'li. ,,i , i ,i !!ii-iilt one forthe botanist, there 



111 111 L' ii A iiiii M I'M -ill I iiiif-ns in the herbaria, because 

 of the large M/.i- ot the plants, the infrequent flowering, 

 and the dimculty of suitably drying them. 



Aloes are much cultivated as decorative plants, being 

 amongst the most popular of desert and succulent plants 

 for their stiff, harsh and rugged habit. They are often 

 grouped about large public buildings, where they em- 

 phasize certain architectural features. Large collections 

 are to be seen only in botanic gardens and in the col- 

 lections of a few fanciers. The largest dealer has nearly 

 a hundred kinds, but grows only five or six kinds in 

 quantity. For index to the following species, see sup- 

 plementary list, p. 51. W. ji. 



A. Arrangement ol Ivs. spiral (except in seedlings). 



B. Form of Ivs. broadly lanceolate, acute : size of Ivs. 



moderately large. 

 c. Border of Ivs. thin, horny : margin entire or 



denticulate. 

 D. Color of Ivs. grayish : shape of Ivs. flattened. 

 1. striata. Haw. (A. panicuWn, J&cq. A. 



iOTt.). 



'aulescent : 



ength large, finely dark- 

 lin(d, scarcely mottled, 

 with entire white border: 

 inHt)rescence compound, 

 broadly cymose : fls. red, 

 cou'^tricted above the 

 o\ar\ Cape. B. M. 5210. 

 H\brids v;ith A. sernilata 

 and .1 grandidentata oc- 

 cur, having toothed Ivs. 



Var rhodocincta 

 •ihodoeincta, Hort. 

 IIanhHrid.na,'SmxA.). Lvs. 

 purplish, very glaucous, 

 with entire reddish bor- 

 der 



serrulilta, Haw. Fig. 



(A. 



L\i 



less 



ob- 



-i ur( h mottled, the white 

 bordtr denticulate : inflo- 

 68 Aloe serrulata r( set nee less cymose. 



Cape. B.M. 1415. 

 DD. Color of lvs. clearer green : shape of lvs. more con- 

 nive : teeth small and cut nearly through the 



3. macroc4rpa. Tod. Lvs. interruptedly green-lined, 

 more evidently mottled: inflorescence branched with 

 elongated racemes. Abyssinia. 



4. Schimperi, Tod. Lvs. coarsely green-lined, scarcely 

 mottled: racemes short and cymose. Abyssinia, China'! 



ALOE 



CC. Border of lvs. usually only near the apex : 

 mottling present. 

 5. sapon4ria, Haw. {A. disticha. Mill., not Linn, nor 

 Thunb. A. umbelldta, DC). Shortly caulescent : lvs. 

 somewhat gray-green or purplish, the small teeth re- 

 mote : racemes short and compact. 

 Cape. B.M. 460.— Varies intomany if 



forms. _" 



lateo-striata. Haw. L^ - - - /^S 

 concave, coarselv pale lined ' 



h^ 



Aloe heteracantha. 



G. latifdlia, Haw. (A. sapondria,raT. latifdlia, Hort.). 

 Lvs. apple-green, thick and broad, concave, the con- 

 spicuous pale blotches irregularly transversely confluent ; 

 teeth large, mostly curved, rather remot«' 

 short and dense. Cape. B.M. 1346. 



8. obsci^ra, Mill. {A . plcta, Thunb.). Lvs. rather nar- 

 rower and thinner : racemes elongated. Cape. B. M. 

 1323. 



9. grandidentita, Salm. Lvs. and racemes still more 

 elongated. Cape. 



ccc. Border of Ivs. nearly absent : mottling scarcely 

 present ; lvs. involute at tip. 



10. glailca, Mill. (4. rftodaca'7(Ma, DC). Caulescent: 

 Ivs.not mottled, very glaucous, the irregular red or brown 

 teeth subconfluent : infior. simple, densely racemose; 

 fls. red, scarcely constricted above the ovary. Cape. 

 B.M. 1278. A hybrid with ,^1. /ii(m!7is, var. iHCMn^a, is 

 A. cyanea. 



tho 



11. heteracintha, Bak. (A. i«tV«i;s, Hort.. not Forsk.). 

 Fig. 69. Nearly stemless, often densely cespitose : Ivs. 

 dark green, sometimes with a few obscure yellowish 

 green spots, slightly striate at base, entire or with a few 

 remote small teeth. Cape? B.M. 6863. 



BB. For 

 tul 



12. f^rox, Mill. (A. murieita, Schult. A. hdrrida, 

 Haw. Pachidindron ferox. Haw.). Caulescent, un- 

 branched : lvs. crowded at summit, glaucous, the margin 

 and both surfaces remotely coarsely pungently toothed : 

 inflor. branched, with elongated very dense racemes; 

 fls. reddish, with stamens twice as long as the perianth. 

 Cape. B.M. 1975. G.C. II. 3: 243. -Varies into several 

 less muricate forms. 



13. mitTi!6rmis, Mill. {A. mitrcet6rmis,y^\\\&., not DC. 

 nor Haw. A. Comm^lyni, Willd. A. spinuldsa, Salm, 

 A.pachyphythi.noTt. 'A.xanthacdntha,Wnid.). Fig.70. 

 Somewhat branoliinLr; Iv-, spaced along the stem above, 

 dark green, with -nui-. -. lafatcd marginal teeth, both 

 faces usually imii i< n. : iuT'or. sometimes branched. with 

 short, compart laniin-: -taiiirns notesserted. Cape. 



