Aloe lineata var. muirii centre of a rosette

This stem-tip close-up of the leaves of Aloe lineata var. muirii shows the leaf colouring, the leaf surface lines and the mainly backwards curving of the marginal spines. The spines are fairly evenly spaced, pale in their upper parts, and, of course, hard and sharp as weaponry should be.

Living in exposed hill top conditions in the veld, even the young leaves show signs of damage, some tips shrivelled up from a still ongoing period of prolonged drought. Dark spots on the leaf surfaces are also not normal leaf features, their cause unknown.

The hardy plant still has a lot going for it to ride out yet another trying period before blooming will herald a happier life phase.