Kingdom Plantae Clade Monocots Family Asphodelaceae Scientific name Gonialoe sladeniana Rank Species | Clade Angiosperms Order Asparagales Subfamily Asphodeloideae Higher classification Gonialoe | |
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Similar Aloe gracilis, Aloe inyangensis, Aloe arenicola, Aloe eminens, Aloe ballii | ||
Aloe sladeniana is a species of plant in the genus Aloe. It is endemic to arid areas of central Namibia.
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Description
The small, stemless rosettes produce suckers that offshoot from the root, which can eventually form dense clumps. The sharp, triangular green leaves point slightly upwards and form three rows. The leaves are covered in linear white spots, and their narrow white cartilaginous margins are finely notched. Tall, very thin inflorescences appear in January and February, with small sparse pale pink flowers.
Taxonomically, it forms part of the Serrulatae series of very closely related Aloe species, together with Aloe variegata and Aloe dinteri. Recent phylogenetic studies have shown these three species to possibly constitute an entirely separate genus, with the suggested name Gonialoe.
While this species looks rather similar to its two sister species, it can be distinguished from Aloe dinteri by its shorter, straighter, less recurved leaves; and it can be distinguished from Aloe variegata by its taller thinner sparser inflorescence, by its having far fewer leaves, and by the spots on its leaves being more linear, almost to the point of being stripes.
Distribution
The species is endemic to central Namibia, south-west of Windhoek. Here its habitat is rocky quartzite in granite hills & shrubland.
This is an arid region of intermediate rainfall, between the winter-rainfall regions to the south, and the summer rainfall areas to the north. In a gradation of the three sister species, to the north Aloe dinteri gradually takes over in the summer rainfall areas. To the south it makes way for Aloe variegata in the winter rainfall regions.