Aloe ferox Seeds

Aloe ferox is most well-known for its medicinal properties. The sap is used as a purgative and is commonly called bitter aloes and it has been in use for the past 200 years.

The specie name 'ferox' means 'ferocious' and it refers to the spiny leaves.It is naturally found from Swellendam in the west to into the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal as well as southern Lesotho and the southern parts of the Orange Free State. Aloe ferox can be found in a variety of habitats, from rocky areas, slopes and open places.

Aloe ferox can reach a height of up to 5 meters in mature specimens but it is usually only 2 meters on average. Dry leaves are persistent on the stem.

Leaves are broad, they vary in colour from a dull green to a greyish green colour, the leaves will turn a reddish colour if the plant is under drought stress. Dark brown spines are present on the leaf surfaces, more so the lower leaf surface, the leaf margins are armed with numerous sharp teeth that are a red-brown colour.

Desription of flowers:

The complex inflorescence is branched into 5 to 12 racemes. The raceme is tightly packed with numerous flowers.Flowers are orange-red, yellowish or white in colour. Flowers are tubular in shape with the style and stamens protruding from the mouth of the flower. Flowering usually occurs in the winter months of May and June but plants found in colder areas usually flower in September and November.