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 distribution of the A. striatula species is inland in the west of the Eastern Cape and Lesotho. This plant was photographed in the Mkhomazi Wilderness Area.

The habitat is rocky outcrops in grassland at altitudes from 500 m to 1500 m where extreme temperatures are common. The habitat population of A. striatula is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Van Wyk and Smith, 2003; Jeppe, 1969; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).