Aloe melanacantha

The stemless or short-stemmed rosette of Aloe melanacantha may be single as here, or form groups of up to about ten. Dry leaves are seen persisting low down on this old plant with procumbent stem, enjoying full sun for many years already among its protective rocks.

The narrowly triangular leaves curve inward, creating a well-rounded shape with emphasis on the daunting black spines. The spines may be straight or curve inwards; everything possible to keep destructive forces at bay. The specific name, melanacantha, is derived from the Greek words melas meaning black and akantha meaning thorn, prickle or thorny plant (the decorative Acanthus plant), referring to the black thorns. The leaf colour is dull yellowish green to dark green.

To find A. melanacantha in nature one has to travel to the Namaqualand coastal area of the Northern Cape or to the north-western corner of the Western Cape, from Nieuwoudtville to the Gariep River. Namibians will also find this aloe near the coast just north of the River.

The habitat is shrubland, duneveld and fynbos in sandy soil and on rocky slopes, land similar to that seen in the photo. The species is not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century.

This is one of four aloes first recorded during Simon van der Stel’s Namaqualand trip of 1685 (Frandsen, 2017; Van Wyk and Smith, 2003; Reynolds, 1974; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).