Aloiampelos striatula var. striatula

Aloiampelos striatula var. striatula is a shrubby or rambling aloe, branching much from the base as well as higher up. The plant grows large, 2 m tall and as wide. The stems are erect, 2 cm in diameter and covered in green, longitudinal lines on the internodes, the leaf sheaths. This gave rise to the plant’s specific name of striatula.

The leaves are long and narrow, clasping the stems at the base. Leaves shine with a dark green colour and are channelled between its upturned margins. The leaves recurve and taper to acute tips. The marginal teeth are small. Older leaves tend to shrivel up and persist on the lower stems as a dry, pale brown covering. In this species this phenomenon is not only associated with low winter temperatures.

A. striatula var. striatula is a plant of the Eastern Cape, growing inland to and over the Lesotho, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal borders. It occurs at altitudes from 500 m to 1500 m on rocky outcrops in grassland with extreme temperatures. This plant was photographed in the Mkhomazi Wilderness Area (Van Wyk and Smith, 2003; Jeppe, 1969).