Aloe barberae Seeds
Family: Liliaceae (lily family)
Common names: Tree aloe; Boomaalwyn, Mikaalwyn
Aloe barberae is a striking sculptural tree aloe bearing a rounded, neat crown. It forms an excellent focal point in the garden. It is easily distinguished by its grey, smooth bark, green recurved leaves and pink flowers during winter. It thrives in cultivation and is easily propagated. Due to its massive stem base, it should preferably not be planted close to any buildings.
Description
Aloe barberae is Africa's largest aloe reaching up to 15 m in height and 0.9 m in stem diameter. The branching is forked or dichotomous and eventually forms a spreading, rounded crown. It leaves are arranged in a dense rosette, they are long, narrow, deeply channelled and curved. The leaf surface is dark green with a toothed margin. The inflorescence is simple or divided into three side branches. The racemes are cylindrical and its tubular flowers rose pink (green-tipped) and appear during June and July.
Distribution
Its habitat is subtropical coastal forests, kloofs and dry valleys in the summer rainfall eastern regions of southern Africa. Aloe barberae is widely distributed from near East London in Eastern Cape through the former Transkei area, KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland and Mpumalanga and northwards to Mozambique and East Africa.
Ecology
This tree grows in warm, well-drained river valleys and coastal forest where the climate is mild and rainfall is at least 1 016-1 524 mm per annum and with little or no frost. The seeds often germinate in the shade of other plants and eventually outgrow their companion plants. The soil is usually a loam and humus rich. In habitat the plants are pollinated by sunbirds. The capsules ripen during late spring and release their seed which is wind dispersed.
