Stats

Lifespan: Decades
Size: Large
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Tropical savanna
Range: Southern Africa
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Spines
Status: Uncommon

About

A towering single-stemmed aloe from South Africa's rocky slopes, reaching 4 m tall with a column of persistent dead leaves below its crown of grey-green spiny rosette. Its brilliant orange-red winter flower spikes are a critical food source for sunbirds and sugarbirds.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asphodelaceae
Genus: Aloe
Species: Aloe marlothii