Aloe pulcherrima

Overview

Aloe pulcherrima is a prostrate or pendent shrubby aloe of the Ethiopian highlands. It forms dense rosettes of pale blue-green to bluish-green leaves with red margins and very small, widely spaced marginal teeth. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Key characteristics

Growth form

It is a shrub with prostrate or pendent stems reaching up to about 1 m long and about 8 cm thick. Dichotomous branching is recorded, while the 2010 account describes plants as mostly unbranched and only sometimes dichotomously branched, especially in cultivation. [2, 3, 4]

Leaves

Leaves form dense, arcuate rosettes and reach up to 50 cm long and 12 cm wide. They are pale blue-green to bluish-green, finely striate, with red margins. [2, 3, 4]

Inflorescence and flowers

The inflorescence is 50–80 cm long, with a U-shaped peduncle and erect racemes 12–28 cm long. Flowers are red and cylindrical, with a perianth 32–33 mm long. [2, 4, 3]

Distribution

WCVP places the species in Ethiopia (Shewa Region). Sebsebe Demissew & Nordal (2010) report it from Gonder, Gojam, Welo and Shewa. [1, 3]

Habitat

It grows at about 2,480–2,750 m on steep basalt slopes and cliffs in sparse evergreen bushland or bush vegetation. [2, 3]

Etymology

The epithet pulcherrima derives from Latin pulcher, “beautiful”, referring to the beauty of the plant. [5]

Classification and nomenclature

Accepted name: Aloe pulcherrima M.G.Gilbert & Sebsebe [1]
Protologue bibliography: Gilbert, M.G. & Sebsebe Demissew (1997), Kew Bulletin 52: 147. [1]
Type locality and type material: M. & S. Gilbert 1669, from Shewa Region, Ethiopia, 17 km northeast of Addis Abeba towards Debre Berhan. The protologue gives conflicting repository roles: the typus line states ETH holotype/K isotype, while the specimen list reverses them. [2]

Main references

World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP).
Gilbert, M.G. & Sebsebe Demissew (1997). Further Notes on the Genus Aloe in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Kew Bulletin 52(1): 139–152.
Sebsebe Demissew & Nordal, I. (2010). Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea, 2nd ed. pp. 49–50.
Carter, S., Lavranos, J.J., Newton, L.E. & Walker, C.C. (2011). Aloes: The Definitive Guide. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p. 514.
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. 129.

Updates

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