Aloe ecklonis only yellow here

This grassland stand of yellow-flowering Aloe ecklonis plants was photographed near Johannesburg in Gauteng. Even before the merger of A. ecklonis with A. boylei this was the most widespread of South African grass aloes.

The plant is a notable survivor, persisting in grasslands trampled by livestock, degraded by development, invaded by alien vegetation and burnt annually or more regularly in many regions. The trials and tribulations of many species of plants and animals have multiplied where people are active, which is about everywhere.

Survival may be associated with a kind of procreative ingenuity in a brainless species, i.e. clever adaptation in finding the remaining available or emerging niches of compatible conditions through the succession of surviving generations.

A plant species can do this better if there is rich variety in the characteristics represented among its seedlings for generating more potentially suitable options. Another contributing factor is wide adaptation of a species to soil types, rainfall, temperature and other environmental variables. Setting much seed also helps.

These are all known features possessed by A. ecklonis, favouring its chances of being the last Aloe standing, should the genus ever become threatened in its entirety.

The proliferation of this Aloe in great numbers among short grasses offers food to many insects. High prevalence of this Aloe is associated with much honey bee activity.

This, in turn, enhances seed setting and larger new populations, even more variations that may support continuation into more generations remaining adaptive (Craib, 2005; Van Wyk and Smith, 2003; Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist).