Aloe pembana

Aloe pembana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asphodelaceae
Subfamily: Asphodeloideae
Genus: Aloe
Species: A. pembana
Binomial name
Aloe pembana
L.E.Newton[2]

Aloe pembana (previously Lomatophyllum pembanum) is a species of Aloe indigenous to the island of Pemba and surrounding islets, off the coast of Tanzania.[2]

It is part of a group of aloes which bear fleshy berries, and were therefore classed as a separate group, Lomatophyllum.

Description

It forms short, erect stems, offsets and suckers from its base, and forms large clumps. Its leaves are a shiny green with white margins and teeth. Its multi-branched inflorescence bears red flowers in racemes, and its seeds develop in fleshy berries.

This species is related to Aloe aldabrensis, but differs by its growth into dense clumps, its flower colour, and its longer inflorescence. It was only fully discovered in 1995.[3]

Distribution

While it was formerly widespread across Pemba and surrounding islands, it now only occurs on Misali island, off the Pemba coast, where it grows in dappled shade in the sandy coastal scrub.[4][5]

It occurs over an extremely small area, with only a few hundred individual plants remaining in the wild. It is threatened by habitat degradation, trampling by fishermen and collection for traditional medicine.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Eastern Arc Mountains & Coastal Forests CEPF Plant Assessment Project Participants (2009). "Aloe pembana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2009: e.T158037A5183949. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Aloe pembana". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  3. ↑ Campbell-Barker, T. (2012). "Notes on Aloe Canis - a new species found in Malawi". The Society of Malawi Journal. 65 (1): 20–27. JSTOR 23342082.
  4. ↑ U.Eggli: Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Monocotyledons: Monocotyledons Springer Science & Business Media. 2001.
  5. ↑ Medicinal Plants, Volume 1 Prota. 2008.
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