50 



ALOE 



ALOE 



yellow, most of the others being orange and orange- 

 scarlet. A. plicatilis makes an ornamental tub plant 

 ■when 4 or 5 ft. 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 

 sunshine not hurting them. Prop, 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. 



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, thus, A'-loe. Popularly this 

 word is loosely used, the common American Aloe being 

 Agave Americana, the commonest "Century Plant." 

 The "bitter aloes" of commerce is a resinous juice much 

 used as a laxative. The best quality is called " Soeotrine 

 or Zanzibar Aloes," a product of A. Perryi, which was 

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

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

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

 the West Indies. Genera allied to Aloe are Apicra, Gas- 

 teria, Haworthia, Pachidendron, and Phylloma. The 

 group is an extremely difiicult one 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. 



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. "^^ jl_ 



A. Arrangement of 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. stri&.ta, Haw. {A.paniculMa, 3s&q^. A. dlbo-cincta, 



Hort.). 



Caulescent : Ivs. at length large, finely dark- 

 lined, scarcely mottled, 

 with entire white border : 

 inflorescence compound, 

 broadly cymose : fls. red, 

 constricted above the 

 ovary. Cape. B.M. 5210. 

 Hybrids with .4. serrulata 

 and A. grandidentafa oc- 

 cur, having toothed Ivs. 



Var. rhodocinota {A. 

 rhodocincta, Hort. A. 

 HanburidnajNand.) . Lvs. 

 purplish, very glaucous, 

 with entire reddish bor- 

 der. 



2. serrulata, Haw. Pig. 

 68. Lvs. less striate, ob- 

 scurely mottled, the white 

 border denticulate : inflo- 

 rescence less cymose. 

 Cape. B.M. U15. 



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

 cave: teeth small and cut nearly through the 

 border. 



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

 more evidently mottled: inflorescence branched with 

 elongated racemes. Abyssinia. 



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

 mottled: racemes short and cymose. Abyssinia, China? 



68. Aloe serrulata. 



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

 mottling present. 



5. Baponiria, Haw. (A. dlsticha, 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 ^j 



forms. 



Var. Ititeo- striata, Haw. Lvs. 

 concave, coarsely pale-lined. 



69. Aloe heteracantha. 



6. latiSdlia, Haw. {A. sapon&ria,va,T. latifdlia, Hort.). 

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

 spicuous pale blotches irregularly transversely confluent ; 

 teeth large, mostly curved, rather remote : racemes 

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



7. commutata, Tod. Lvs. rather thinner : racemes 

 several, somewhat elongated. Abys. 



8. obsciira, Mill. (4. pfcto, Thunb.). Lvs. rather nar- 

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

 1323. 



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

 elongated. Gape. 



occ. Border of lvs. nearly absent: mottling scarcely 

 present: lvs. involute at tip. 



10. g\a,iLca,M.ill. {A. rhodacdntha,X>G.). Caulescent: 

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

 teeth subconfluent : inflor. simple, densely racemose; 

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

 B.M. 1278. A hybrid with A. humilis, var. inc^^,rva, is 

 A. cyanea. 



Var. muricata, Sch. Lvs. glaucous, with large teeth, 

 those on the keel or apex more developed. 



11. heteracantha, Bak. (j1. t«^i-mis, Hort., not Forsk.). 

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

 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. Form of lvs. ovate-lanceolate, acute, thick, mostly 

 tuberculate on the back : size of lvs ' 



12. f^TOX, Mill. {A. muricMa, Schult. A. hdrrida. 

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

 branohed : 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. mitrifbrmis. Mill. (4. miiraiWrmis.Willd., not DC. 

 nor Haw. A. Comm4lyni, WillA. A. spinuldsa, Salm. 

 A. pachyphylla, Hort. A. xanthacdntha, Willd.). Pig. 70. 

 Somewhat branching: lvs. spaced along the stem above, 

 dark green, with strong, separated marginal teeth, both 

 faces usually muricate : inflor. sometimes branched, with 

 short, compact racemes: stamens not exserted. Cape. 

 B.M. 1270.— Varies into numerous forms. 



