Aloe melanacantha flowering in private

Aloe melanacantha flowers appear in Namaqualand about three months before the general flowering season of the region, well before the hordes of flower tourists descend upon the flower fest. Photos of the leaf rosettes are easier to come by when announced by the flowers. They are photogenic whether yellow-green or another tint, the elegantly curved leaves with black thorns on older leaf margins and keels more noticed than many other aloe leaves.

Pollinators are, of course, not driven by media-induced crazes, as only hunger drives the locals (Van Wyk and Smith, 2003; Reynolds, 1974; iNaturalist).