Aloe polyphylla - Spiral Aloe or Kroonaalwyn Seeds

The beautiful and rare Spiral Aloe's habitat is restricted to the high Maluti Mountains of Lesotho. The Spiral Aloe is single stemmed, though it will sometimes grow in very dense groups, with leaves that are perfectly arranged, either clockwise or anti-clockwise. The plant consists of about 5 layers of leaves, each with 15-30 leaves. They do not form off-shoots, so the only natural way of propagation is from seed. It has become a prized collector's item which could be why it's numbers in the wild has diminished. Aloe polyphylla was recently added to the red list of endangered species.

Plants have approximately 150 leaves each, which explains the name "polyphylla". "Poly" means "many" and "phylla" is Greek for "leaves". The leaves themselves are broad and have a grey-green colour. The tips usually become dark, purplish brown and are quite sharp. The margins are irregularly toothed.

The Spiral Aloe has beautiful red to pink flowers that are compacted on the inflorescence during spring and early summer.

It is a criminal offence to remove plants or seed of Aloe polyphylla from the natural habitat or to buy plants from roadside vendors. Worst of all, plants which have been removed from their habitat usually do not survive for more than a few years. You may bid with confidence, as these seeds were not collected from the wild. This rare, endangered aloe is a prime example of ex-situ conservation, where there are more plants in cultivation than in the wild.