Alex Chow

This species is a small Aloe from Madagascar, naturally found near granite outcrops on slopes of the Itremo Mountains at altitudes of 5000 – 6000 ft. Although it is considered critically endangered in the wild, it is commonly cultivated because of its small size, suitability to indoor planting, and attractive appearance—its epithet reflects it being a little, beautiful plant.

Aloe scorpioides is a widely branching Aloe endemic to the western slopes of the Serra da Chela mountains in southern Angola, close to the Atlantic coast. There, it can be found growing out of rocky slopes, or in the shade of forests at lower altitudes.

Aloe fouriei is a relatively recently discovered grass Aloe endemic to the Mpumalanga province in South Africa. It is found among dolomite formations near the towns of Lydenberg and Pilgrim’s Rest, on steep slopes at altitudes of 5000 ft​. The species is named after Steve Fourie, a local conservation officer who first discovered the plant.

Aloe arenicola is a unique, low creeping Aloe endemic to the Northern Cape province of South Africa, near the town of Kleinsee. Its natural distribution is along a narrow, 500 km strip along the western coast, from the Namibian border down to Lambert’s Bay. The plant grows on very arid, sandy soils near sea level. Its name, meaning sand-inhabiting, refers to its natural sandy habitat.

Until 1996, this species was thought to be identical to Aloe massawana. Reynolds, who named the latter species, had not seen any populations in the wild. He only had access to original records indicating that the plant could be found near the town of Massawa (modern-day Mitsiwa) in Eritrea and along the eastern coast of Tanzania. He therefore chose the name massawana, but applied it to the Tanzanian specimens. In 1996, Carter et al. proved that the Eritrean specimens are in fact a distinct species, and named it Aloe eumassawana; the epithet alludes to it being truly from Massawa.

Aloe rauhii is a small acaulescent Aloe endemic to the Toliara Province of Madagascar, a very arid region in the southwestern corner of the island. It was discovered in 1961 by Professor Werner Rauh of Heidelberg University, who led many botanical expeditions in Madagascar and is considered an authority on succulent species on the island. Reynolds thus named this species after Rauh when he first published it in 1963.

Aloe burgersfortensis is a maculate Aloe with large variation from one specimen to another. It is also very similar to other maculate Aloes; in fact, Glen and Hardy treats it as synonymous with Aloe parvibracteata.

First described in 1804 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.