Aloe striata

FamilyAsphodelaceae
GenusAloe
Speciesstriata
OriginGrahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa
PublishedHaworth, Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 7:18 (1804)
IPNI529928-1

First described in 1804 ​[1]​ by Adrian Hardy Haworth, an English entomologist and botanist, Aloe striata is now a widely-cultivated and distributed Aloe. Endemic to the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, this species can be found naturally in a wide variety of habitats, typically at mid altitudes.

Description of this species by A. Haworth in 1804 ​[1]​.

The plant is one of the most distinctive species of Aloes in that the leaves have smooth edges with thin red borders. The leaves themselves are greyish green, turning reddish if growing under direct sunlight. They are faintly striate—marked with parallel lines, a characteristic that gives the plant its name.

Inflorescences are branched and flat-topped, with flowers that are coral or bright red, rarely yellow ​[2]​. The plant flowers around late winter.

Leaves with smooth red borders of Aloe striata.

Physical Characteristics

Inflorescence4 ft. tall
PerianthRed, 1 in. long
StemAcaulescent
Typical Diameter3 ft.
Typical Height18 in.
Flowering SeasonLate winter

References

  1. [1]
    A. Haworth, “A new arrangement of the Genus Aloe, with a chronological Sketch of the progressive Knowledge of that Genus, and of other succulent Genera.,” Transactions of the Linnean Society, vol. 7, p. 18, 1804.
  2. [2]
    D. S. Hardy, H. F. Glen, and G. Germishuizen, “ALOACEAE,” Flora of Southern Africa, vol. 5, p. 69, 2000.