Aloe luntii

Overview

Aloe luntii is an aloe with a short stem that may form small groups; its recorded range varies among sources between Somalia, Oman and Yemen, and a more restricted range in Hadhramaut, Yemen. It has recurved greyish-brown to olive-green leaves and a branched inflorescence bearing pink to red or yellow flowers. [1, 2, 3]

Classification and nomenclature

Accepted name: Aloe luntii Baker [1]
Protologue bibliography: Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information, Kew 1894: 342 (1894) [1, 2, 3]
Type locality and type material: Hadhramaut, Yemen, Dobaibah; Lunt collection; K [2, 3]

Etymology

The epithet luntii commemorates William Lunt, who collected plants in southern Arabia. [2, 4]

Key characteristics

Growth form

It is caulescent, with an erect or decumbent stem, and may occur singly or sucker to form small groups. [2, 3]

Leaves

The leaves are ensiform, spreading and strongly recurved. They are recorded as greyish-brown to olive green or grey to brownish, with a waxy bloom; the white, hard cartilaginous margin lacks teeth. [2, 3]

Inflorescence and flowers

The inflorescence is suberect to erect and branched. Racemes are laxly flowered, and the cylindrical-trigonous perianth is recorded as pink to red or yellow, or as dull red to coral-pink in another source. [2, 3]

Distribution

Range records differ among Sources: one records Somalia, Oman and Yemen, another Yemen only, and another confines the species to Hadhramaut. Localities recorded in Hadhramaut include Abdallah Gharib, Ra's Huweira, Wadi Hadhramaut, the Hadhrami Jol, Bain al-Jibal and Mola Matar. [1, 2, 3]

Habitat

It grows on stony limestone hills of the dry, mostly barren Hadhrami high plateau. Elevation is recorded as 800–2,100 m and, in another source, 1,000–2,100 m; annual rainfall is about 75 mm, with intermittent fog contributing moisture as dew. [2, 3]

Main references

World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP).
McCoy, T. (2019). The Aloes of Arabia. McCoy Publishing, Temecula, California. pp. 64–68.
Carter, S., Lavranos, J.J., Newton, L.E. & Walker, C.C. (2011). Aloes: The Definitive Guide. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p. 593.
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. 92.

Updates

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