Aloe dewetii Reynolds, 1937

Klopper, Ronell R., Crouch, Neil R., Smith, Gideon F. & van Wyk, Abraham E., 2020, A synoptic review of the aloes (Asphodelaceae, Alooideae) of KwaZulu-Natal, an ecologically diverse province in eastern South Africa, PhytoKeys 142, pp. 1-88 : 1

NE Aloe dewetii Reynolds

Common names.

De Wet’s aloe (English); dewetse-aalwyn (Afrikaans).

Description.

Acaulescent plants, 0.5-0.8 m high; rosettes solitary, erect, can be over 1 m in diameter. Leaves densely rosulate, speading, dull glossy green, upper surface with numerous dull white, elongate, spots, irregularly scattered or sometimes in irregular undulating transverse bands, lower surface without spots, obscurely lineate, lanceolate-attenuate, 36-50 cm long, 7-13 cm wide at base; margin prominent, horny, brown, with pungent, deltoid, stout, brown teeth, up to 10 mm long, 10-15 mm apart; exudate clear. Inflorescence up to 2-3 m high, erect, 8- to 12-branched from about middle. Racemes cylindrical-acuminate, up to 40 cm long, ± 7 cm wide, lax, terminal raceme the longest. Floral bracts ± 20 mm long, 3 mm wide. Pedicels 8-15 mm long. Flowers: perianth dull scarlet with a bloom, 35-42 mm long, up to 14 mm across ovary, abruptly constricted above ovary to form distinct globose basal swelling, enlarging towards mouth, slightly decurved; outer segments free for 6 mm; stamens exserted to 3 mm; style exserted 1-2 mm.

Flowering time.

February-March.

Habitat.

Windswept, gently sloping open grassland in midlands of the province on heavy soils, in areas with fairly cold winters and high rainfall with a summer maximum.

Diagnostic characters.

Aloe dewetii can be distinguished from other maculate aloes in KwaZulu-Natal ( Aloe maculata subsp. maculata , Aloe mudenensis , Aloe parvibracteata , Aloe prinslooi , Aloe pruinosa , Aloe suffulta , Aloe umfoloziensis , Aloe vanrooyenii and Aloe viridiana ) by the spreading leaves (36-50 × 7-13 cm) that have a peculiar glossy appearance and a most pronounced horny, brown margin with extra-large, pungent teeth of up to 10 mm long. Leaves are spotted on the upper surface, while the lower surface is without spots and obscurely lineate. The 8- to 12-branched and rebranched inflorescences are the tallest of all the maculates (up to 2-3 m high) and have widely-spreading branches and long cylindrical, lax racemes (up to 40 cm long). Pedicels are 8-15 mm long. Flowers are dull scarlet with a bloom, 35-42 mm long and with a large globose basal swelling (up to 14 mm diameter).

Conservation status.

Least Concern ( Raimondo et al. 2009).

Distribution.

Limited to northern KwaZulu-Natal and southern Mpumalanga in South Africa, as well as Eswatini (Fig. 12 ).

Figures

Figure 12. Aloe dewetii. Photo: N. R. Crouch.