Aloe pirottae

Overview

Aloe pirottae is an aloe native from southern and eastern Ethiopia to north-eastern Kenya. It is stemless or nearly so and suckers, with inflorescences reaching 1 m or more and flowers described as yellow to orange, sometimes red. [1, 2, 3]

Classification and nomenclature

Accepted name: Aloe pirottae A.Berger [1]
Protologue bibliography: Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 36: 65 (1905). [1]
Type locality and type material: Ethiopia, Sagan River, in the border area between Gamo Gofa and Sidamo. [2]

Etymology

The epithet pirottae honours Pietro Romualdo Pirotta (1853–1936), professor of botany in Rome. [2, 4]

Key characteristics

Growth form

Plants are stemless or nearly so, suckering to form small groups. [2, 3]

Leaves

Leaves are lanceolate-attenuate, 6.5–13 cm wide, with length recorded as 45–60 cm or 45–90 cm. They are dark green with many elongated spots described as pale green or whitish. [3, 2]

Leaf surface and margin

The pungent marginal teeth are recorded as (3–)4–5.5 mm long, with 7–10 per cm or spacing of 10–15 mm. [3, 2]

Inflorescence and flowers

Inflorescences reach 1 m or more and have up to 28 branches. Racemes are cylindrical, recorded as 7–33 cm or 7–35 cm long, and often secund. The perianth is cylindrical to clavate, 20–28 mm long, and described as yellow to orange, sometimes red. [3, 2]

Distribution

Ethiopia and north-eastern Kenya. [1]

Habitat

Recorded in open Acacia woodland, on dark soil or stony soils, sometimes with impeded drainage. Altitude is given as 1300–1820 m or 900–1820 m depending on the source. [2, 3]

Main references

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Plants of the World Online: Aloe pirottae A.Berger (accessed 2026-09-23). Source
Sebsebe Demissew & Nordal, I. (2010). Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea, 2nd ed.
Carter, S., Lavranos, J.J., Newton, L.E. & Walker, C.C. (2011). Aloes: The Definitive Guide. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. pp. 384–385.
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. 122.

Updates

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