Aloe thraskii

Gardens along the South African coastline display many outstanding specimens of Aloe thraskii, the dune aloe or strand aloe. The common height these plants reach is around 2 m, but some are occasionally in excess of 4 m. This is one of the recognised South African tree aloes as is confirmed by its listing among the trees (SA Tree List No. 30.7). A. brevifolia is also known in Afrikaans as duine-aalwyn.

The fruits looking black at this stage are maturing, preparing the thousands of seeds inside for flight, once they are dry and their capsules burst at the seams. Their positioning offers a perfect presentation to the south-easterly wind that will blow in the season when this happens.

The “bearded” appearance of persistent dry leaves on the stem below the leaf rosette does not quite reach the ground on this plant. The oldest live leaves gradually sag down closer to the stem, to lie eventually on top of their predecessors, keeping the stem well covered and providing housing to insect, spider and snake.

The species distribution is coastal in the northeast of the Eastern Cape from Port St Johns to southern KwaZulu-Natal as far north as Mtunzini. Because it adapts so well further south along the coast, it is seen planted to Cape Agulhas and further.

The habitat is coastal forest, sourveld, grassland and subtropical seashore vegetation. In nature the plants occur only from the first beach vegetation to the top of the first sea-facing slope. Reynolds mentions that this is one of few South African tall-stemmed aloes that does not seek exposed rocky places. The species is considered near threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century, due to continuing habitat loss and degradation caused by coastal development (Frandsen, 2017; Smith, et al, 2017; Van Wyk and Smith, 2003; Reynolds, 1974; Jeppe, 1969; iNaturalist; http://redlist. sanbi.org).