Kumara Medikus (1786: 69)

Grace, Olwen M., Klopper, Ronell R., Smith, Gideon F., Crouch, Neil R., Figueiredo, Estrela, Rønsted, Nina & Van Wyk, Abraham E., 2013, A revised generic classification for Aloe (Xanthorrhoeaceae subfam. Asphodeloideae), Phytotaxa 76 (1), pp. 7-14 : 11

3. Kumara Medikus (1786: 69)

Type: — Kumara disticha Medik.

Aloe section Kumara (Medik.) Baker (1880: 155) . Type:— Aloe plicatilis (L.) Mill. [= Kumara disticha Med. ].

Description:— Dichotomously branched [Model of Leeuwenberg ( Hallé et al. 1987; Van Wyk et al. 2008)] shrubby to arborescent, sub-woody succulent perennials, with corky bark. Leaves distichous, broadly linear to lorate, erectly spreading, unspotted, margins minutely dentate in upper third or almost entire, apex rounded; exudate copious, watery, yellow with unpleasant odour, soon coagulating and becoming sticky. Inflorescence simple with cylindric, slightly acuminate, lax raceme. Pedicels not articulated. Flowers cylindric, slightly trigonous, segments connate in lower third; scarlet. Stamens and style straight, shortly exserted; filaments glabrous. Fruit a loculicidal capsule; seeds numerous.

Chromosome number:— 2n = 14 ( Brandham 1971).

Chemistry:— Roots containing chrysophanol, asphodeline and aloechrysone; 1-methyl-8- hydroxyanthraquinone pathway lacking, hence the absence of aloesaponarin, aloesaponarin II, laccaic acid D- methyl ester, aloesaponol I, aloesaponol II and isoeleutherol ( Van Wyk et al. 1995). Leaf exudate containing the naphthalene derivative plicatiloside but lacking chromones and anthrones (Viljoen 1999, Viljoen et al. 1999). Included in chemotype C (plicatiloside) by Dagne et al. (2000).