Aloe excelsa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Aloe excelsa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Aloe excelsa with its typical multi-branched inflorescence | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asphodelaceae |
| Subfamily: | Asphodeloideae |
| Genus: | Aloe |
| Species: | A. excelsa |
| Binomial name | |
| Aloe excelsa | |
Aloe excelsa (also known as the Zimbabwe Aloe) is an arborescent aloe indigenous to southern Africa.
The Zimbabwe Aloe is a tall aloe, sometimes reaching tree dimensions of 5–6 metres (16–20 ft), although 3 metres (9.8 ft) is a more common height. It is single-stemmed and all but the lowest part of the trunk is swathed in the remains of dead leaves. The leaves form a compact rosette at the top, spreading becoming recurved and up to 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) long. They are dark green in summer and succulent, up to 3 cm (1.2 in) thick at the centre. Similar to some other aloe species, young plants have a great number of spines over their leaf surfaces. However, as they get taller and less vulnerable to grazing, these brown-red teeth disappear and remain only on the leaf margins.[3]
This species is frequently confused with the related Aloe ferox and Aloe africana species, to the south, and they do look very similar when fully grown. However, the flowers are different, with the racemes of Aloe excelsa being far shorter and slightly curved.
