Aloe niebuhriana

Overview

Aloe niebuhriana Lavranos is currently accepted by WCVP from southwestern Saudi Arabia (Jabal Sawda) to western Yemen. It is stemless or has a short decumbent to procumbent stem and offsets vigorously, often forming large groups. [1, 2, 3]

Key characteristics

Growth form

Stemless or with a short decumbent to procumbent stem, offsetting vigorously into groups and less commonly solitary. [2, 3]

Leaves

Leaves are rosulate, spreading to ascending or erect, lanceolate-attenuate, grey to grey-green with a brownish tinge, and acute at the apex. [2, 3]

Leaf surface and margin

The leaf surface is smooth, the margins bear pungent reddish- to dark-brown deltoid teeth, and juvenile leaves are profusely white-spotted on both surfaces. [2, 3]

Inflorescence and flowers

Inflorescences are erect and usually simple or 1–2-branched, with broadly conical, densely flowered racemes. The perianth is cylindrical-trigonous, while flowers pass from suberect when young to horizontal and finally nodding. [2, 3]

Distribution

Current WCVP places the range from Jabal Sawda in southwestern Saudi Arabia to western Yemen. McCoy (2019) and Carter et al. (2011) describe the species primarily from southwestern to western Yemen. [1, 2, 3]

Habitat

It occurs in wadi beds, low hills and foothills, especially on fine-grained alluvial soils but also on gravel and rocky slopes. McCoy (2019) gives 200–1,400 m, whereas Carter et al. (2011) give about 350 m. [2, 3]

Etymology

The epithet niebuhriana honours Carsten Niebuhr (1733–1815), an explorer in Arabia. [2, 3, 4]

Classification and nomenclature

Accepted name: Aloe niebuhriana Lavranos [1]
Protologue bibliography: Published in Journal of South African Botany 31: 68 (1965). [1]
Type locality and type material: The type collection is Rauh & Lavranos 3159. McCoy (2019) records it from a wadi bed at Tor al-Baha, Lahej District, Yemen (13°10'N, 44°19'E), collected on 31 March 1964, with the holotype at PRE. Carter et al. (2011) cite PRE and K for the same collection. [2, 3]

Main references

World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP).
McCoy, T. (2019). The Aloes of Arabia. McCoy Publishing, Temecula, California.
Carter, S., Lavranos, J.J., Newton, L.E. & Walker, C.C. (2011). Aloes: The Definitive Guide. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. pp. 426–427.
Grace, O.M., Klopper, R.R., Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2011). The Aloe Names Book. Strelitzia 28. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria. p. 110.

Updates

Classification, distribution and descriptive information are revised as new sources are verified or taxonomic treatments change.