Stem: Acaulescent or very shortly caulescent, hardly 10 cm high. The foliage is arranged in five spiral ranks each of them containing between 15 and 30 leaves. Rosette: Unbranched, with 80-150 leaves in a large and low whorl about 30-60 cm wide. The leaves are arranged in perfect clockwise or anti-clockwise spirals and form a flattened whorl that resembles a lavish bow, hence the common name “Spiral Aloe”ĭerivation of specific name: The name "polyphylla" comes from Greek words "poly" meaning many and "phylla" meaning leaves. The spiral formation of its grey-green leaves, cannot be confused with any other known aloe. They occur usually in dense groups of twelve to twenty-four, individual plant as they do not form off-shoots.ĭescription: Aloe polyphylla is a very peculiar plant, considered by many the most beautiful aloe. In their habitat they are used to go down to -10° to -20° C overnight which usually warms to 10 to15 C during the day, and summer temps varies from 15° to 22° C so it's a very cool climate. It is also the only aloe that thrives in temperatures well below freezing and in winter the plants are often under snow. The average annual rainfall is around 1100 mm mainly from spring to autumn. In summer the plants receive continual flow of water and the rainfall is very high and the climate cool. They grow in damp places on rich but very draining peaty, rather clayey, black soil mainly among crushed basalt rocks or in crevices. Habitat: They live in high altitude grassland just below the snow line, mainly on very steep slopes facing North or North-west but plants growing at higher altitudes are found only on the East facing slopes where they can receive the morning sun. Origin and Habitat: Aloe polyphylla is endemic of the Maluti Mountains of Lesotho, but also reported from the Lesotho border with the Free State and (possibly) from KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg.Īltitude: 2000-2500 m over sea level (but may be found as high as 3000 m )
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