Aloe tenuior
Encyclopedia
Aloe tenuior is a bushy, multi-branched climbing aloe
from the grasslands and thickets of the Eastern Cape
, Kwazulu Natal and Mpumalanga
, South Africa
. It is one of the most profusely flower
ing of all aloes.
, inTelezi in Fengu, and simply the fence aloe in English
. The specific epithet tenuior means "very slender", and refers to the plant's stems.
A medium-sized, bushy aloe
that forms clumps up to 3 m tall, with leaves tufted at the ends of branches. The leaves have a distinctive greyish-green colour and the leaf margins have tiny white teeth. These leaves are a traditional remedy for tapeworm.
An unusually large, woody rootstock usually forms on the ground at the base of the plant.
Like all climbing aloes
, flowers are borne on slender racemes and are usually bright yellow (although the rubriflora variety's flowers are red). Aloe tenuior flowers throughout the year, but especially in winter, and the small flowers appear on thin, un-branched raceme
s.
n climbing aloes, called the Macrifoliae Aloes
. Also included in this group are its relatives Aloe gracilis
(which occurs to the west around Port Elizabeth), Aloe striatula
(found to the north on the higher mountain slopes), and Aloe decumbens
, Aloe juddii
and Aloe commixta
which occur only in isolated pockets in the Western Cape
fynbos. However, it can be distinguished from its relatives by its thin, greyish, non-recurved leaves.
In addition to the most common variety (Aloe tenuior tenuior), there are also several extremely rare subspecies of this aloe - such as the Dense-flowered Fence Aloe (Aloe tenuior densiflora) and the Green-leaf Fence Aloe (Aloe tenuior viridifolia). These are confined to very small natural ranges along South Africa's subtropical coast.
Aloe ser. Macrifoliae
Aloe ser. Macrifoliae is a taxonomic series within the genus Aloe, comprising seven closely related species of Southern African climbing aloe. These aloes are typically multi-branched climbing or sprawling shrubs, with long spindly stems and a large woody base on the ground...
from the grasslands and thickets of the Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
, Kwazulu Natal and Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is one of the most profusely flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
ing of all aloes.
Description
Locally, this plant is known as iKhalene in XhosaXhosa
The Xhosa people are speakers of Bantu languages living in south-east South Africa, and in the last two centuries throughout the southern and central-southern parts of the country....
, inTelezi in Fengu, and simply the fence aloe in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. The specific epithet tenuior means "very slender", and refers to the plant's stems.
A medium-sized, bushy aloe
Aloe
Aloe , also Aloë, is a genus containing about 500 species of flowering succulent plants. The most common and well known of these is Aloe vera, or "true aloe"....
that forms clumps up to 3 m tall, with leaves tufted at the ends of branches. The leaves have a distinctive greyish-green colour and the leaf margins have tiny white teeth. These leaves are a traditional remedy for tapeworm.
An unusually large, woody rootstock usually forms on the ground at the base of the plant.
Like all climbing aloes
Aloe ser. Macrifoliae
Aloe ser. Macrifoliae is a taxonomic series within the genus Aloe, comprising seven closely related species of Southern African climbing aloe. These aloes are typically multi-branched climbing or sprawling shrubs, with long spindly stems and a large woody base on the ground...
, flowers are borne on slender racemes and are usually bright yellow (although the rubriflora variety's flowers are red). Aloe tenuior flowers throughout the year, but especially in winter, and the small flowers appear on thin, un-branched raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
s.
Relatives
Aloe tenuior is part of a group of similar Southern AfricaSouthern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
n climbing aloes, called the Macrifoliae Aloes
Aloe ser. Macrifoliae
Aloe ser. Macrifoliae is a taxonomic series within the genus Aloe, comprising seven closely related species of Southern African climbing aloe. These aloes are typically multi-branched climbing or sprawling shrubs, with long spindly stems and a large woody base on the ground...
. Also included in this group are its relatives Aloe gracilis
Aloe gracilis
Aloe gracilis is a climbing aloe, endemic to the area around the city of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Its natural range lies just to the west of the related climbing aloe Aloe ciliaris, and it occurs in bushy fynbos and thickets, and clustered on rocky outcrops at all altitudes.-Appearance:Its...
(which occurs to the west around Port Elizabeth), Aloe striatula
Aloe striatula
Aloe striatula is a sturdy climbing aloe that naturally occurs on the summits of mountains along the south of the Karoo region of South Africa...
(found to the north on the higher mountain slopes), and Aloe decumbens
Aloe decumbens
Aloe decumbens is a sprawling, rambling aloe that is endemic to the fynbos vegetation of the Langeberg Mountains near Riversdale in the Western Cape, South Africa....
, Aloe juddii
Aloe juddii
Aloe juddii is a newly discovered climbing aloe that is native to a few rocky outcrops and a farm , near to Cape Agulhas in the Western Cape, South Africa....
and Aloe commixta
Aloe commixta
Aloe commixta or the Peninsula Rambling Aloe is a rare climbing aloe that is endemic to southwestern South Africa. It naturally occurs only on the Table Mountain range, within the city of Cape Town....
which occur only in isolated pockets in the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
fynbos. However, it can be distinguished from its relatives by its thin, greyish, non-recurved leaves.
Subspecies
Aloe tenuior is an extremely variable species.In addition to the most common variety (Aloe tenuior tenuior), there are also several extremely rare subspecies of this aloe - such as the Dense-flowered Fence Aloe (Aloe tenuior densiflora) and the Green-leaf Fence Aloe (Aloe tenuior viridifolia). These are confined to very small natural ranges along South Africa's subtropical coast.