Aloiampelos Klopper & Gideon F.Sm., 2013

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 : 10

2. Aloiampelos Klopper & Gideon F.Sm. , gen. nov.

Diagnosis: Differs from Aloe L. in the following suite of characters: plants shrubby or climbing; leaves cauline dispersed, sheathing, separated by distinct internodes, unspotted; exudate absent or minimal; inflorescence usually simple; flowers cylindrical to slightly clavate or subventricose, sometimes slightly narrowed above the ovary, but lacking a pronounced constriction above a bulbous basal swelling; perianth segments ± connate.

Type: — Aloiampelos ciliaris (Haw.) Klopper & Gideon F.Sm.

Aloe series Macrifoliae Haworth (1825: 280) . Aloe section Macrifoliae (Haw.) Glen & Hardy (2000: 92) . Type:— Aloe ciliaris Haw. [= Aloiampelos ciliaris (Haw.) Klopper & Gideon F.Sm. ].

Aloe series Striatulae Berger (1905: 47) . Type:— Aloe ciliaris Haw. [= Aloiampelos ciliaris (Haw.) Klopper & Gideon F.Sm. ].

Description:— Shrubby or climbing, herbaceous or sub-woody succulent perennials. Leaves spirally arranged, sheathing, separated by distinct internodes, linear-lanceolate, thin, flat, unspotted, margins dentate to denticulate, apex tapering; exudate absent or minimal, watery, clear to pale yellow, not strong smelling. Inflorescence a simple (seldom 1- or 2-branched) lateral panicle with lax to subdense cylindric, or dense capitate racemes. Pedicels not articulated. Flowers cylindric, slightly trigonous, sometimes subventricose or with a constriction in the middle; segments ± connate; yellow, orange, red or greenish. Stamens and style straight, included or exserted; filaments glabrous. Fruit a loculicidal capsule; seeds numerous.

Distribution:— Occurs in South Africa (mainly Western and Eastern Cape), with one species found on the Swaziland border.

Etymology: —From Aloe and the Greek word for a climbing plant, ampelos. This refers to the general climbing habit of the scrambling aloes.

Chromosome number:— 2n = 14, 4n = 28 and 6n = 42 ( Brandham 1971).

Chemistry:— Roots usually containing chrysophanol and asphodeline, rarely aloechrysone; 1-methyl-8- hydroxyanthraquinone pathway lacking, hence the absence of aloesaponarin, aloesaponarin II, laccaic acid Dmethyl ester, aloesaponol I, aloesaponol II and isoeleutherol ( Van Wyk et al. 1995). Leaf exudate absent or minimal, containing flavonoids as flavones (isovitexin), but lacking dihydroflavonols and flavanones ( Viljoen et al. 1998). Included in chemotype A2 (flavones, anthrones and chromones) by Dagne et al. (2000).