Gonialoe
Genus of flowering plants from Africa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gonialoe (the partridge aloes) is a small genus of three succulent plant species—Gonialoe dinteri, Gonialoe sladeniana and Gonialoe variegata—endemic to coastal South Africa, Namibia and Angola. They were formerly included within the larger, related genus Aloe.[1]
| Gonialoe | |
|---|---|
| |
| Gonialoe variegata | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asphodelaceae |
| Subfamily: | Asphodeloideae |
| Tribe: | Aloeae |
| Genus: | Gonialoe (Baker) Boatwr. & J.C.Manning |
| Type species | |
| Gonialoe variegata (L.) Boatwr. & J.C.Manning | |
| Species | |
 | |
| Distribution map of the three Gonialoe species. G. dinteri G. sladeniana G. variegata | |
Taxonomy
The genus Aloe was found to be polyphyletic. It was accordingly divided into different genera: Aloe, Kumara, Aloiampelos, and Gonialoe, among others. Several recent phylogenetic studies have confirmed this division, and shown that Aloe actually consists of several relatively unrelated groups.
The same studies suggested that the closest relatives of this proposed genus were the related genera Astroloba and Tulista.[2]
Species
The three species of this genus can easily be recognised by their compact, triangular leaves forming three vertical or spiraling ranks (trifarious).[3]
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
 | Gonialoe dinteri (A.Berger) Boatwr. & J.C.Manning | Namibia[4] |
 | Gonialoe sladeniana (Pole-Evans) Boatwr. & J.C.Manning | central Namibia, south-west of Windhoek[5] |
 | Gonialoe variegata (L.) Boatwr. & J.C.Manning | South Africa (Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Free State.)[6] |
