Aloe maculata
Encyclopedia
Aloe maculata is a Southern Africa
n species of aloe
.
"sapo" meaning soap, as the sap makes a soapy lather in water). Its currently accepted name, according to the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), is Aloe maculata ("maculata" means speckled or marked).
Local people in South Africa
know it informally as the "Bontaalwyn" in Afrikaans
, or "Lekhala" in the Sesotho language.
, from Zimbabwe
in the north, to the Cape Peninsula
in the south. Specifically, it is native to southern and eastern South Africa
, south-eastern Botswana
and Zimbabwe
.
In addition, it is now planted around the world as a popular landscape plant in warm desert regions - especially in the United States
, where it is the most popular ornamental aloe in the Tucson, Arizona
area, and also popular in California.
The flower
s are similarly variable in colour, ranging from bright red to yellow, but are always bunched in a distinctively flat-topped raceme
. The inflorescence
is borne on the top of a tall, multi-branched stalk and the seeds are reputedly poisonous.
The juice from the leaves is traditionally used as soap
by local people.
Plants are damaged by temperatures below 32°F (0°C), but recover quickly. In a suitable climate, soap aloes require little attention once established. Aloe maculata is very salt tolerant — a good choice for seaside gardens.
A hybrid between A. maculata and A. striata
is very popular in the gardening trade and is used for water-wise landscaping worldwide.
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
n species of aloe
Aloe
Aloe , also Aloë, is a genus containing about 500 species of flowering succulent plants. The most common and well known of these is Aloe vera, or "true aloe"....
.
Naming
This species was previously known as Aloe saponaria (a name that came from the LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
"sapo" meaning soap, as the sap makes a soapy lather in water). Its currently accepted name, according to the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), is Aloe maculata ("maculata" means speckled or marked).
Local people in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
know it informally as the "Bontaalwyn" in Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
, or "Lekhala" in the Sesotho language.
Distribution
The Soap Aloe is highly adaptable and is naturally found in a wide range of habitats across Southern AfricaSouthern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
, from Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
in the north, to the Cape Peninsula
Cape Peninsula
The Cape Peninsula is a generally rocky peninsula that juts out for 75 km into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope...
in the south. Specifically, it is native to southern and eastern South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, south-eastern Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
.
In addition, it is now planted around the world as a popular landscape plant in warm desert regions - especially in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where it is the most popular ornamental aloe in the Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
area, and also popular in California.
Appearance
It is a very variable species and hybridizes easily with other similar Aloes, sometimes making it difficult to identify. The leaves range in colour from red to green, but always have distinctive "H-shaped" spots.The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are similarly variable in colour, ranging from bright red to yellow, but are always bunched in a distinctively flat-topped raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is borne on the top of a tall, multi-branched stalk and the seeds are reputedly poisonous.
The juice from the leaves is traditionally used as soap
Soap
In chemistry, soap is a salt of a fatty acid.IUPAC. "" Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. . Compiled by A. D. McNaught and A. Wilkinson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford . XML on-line corrected version: created by M. Nic, J. Jirat, B. Kosata; updates compiled by A. Jenkins. ISBN...
by local people.
Plants are damaged by temperatures below 32°F (0°C), but recover quickly. In a suitable climate, soap aloes require little attention once established. Aloe maculata is very salt tolerant — a good choice for seaside gardens.
A hybrid between A. maculata and A. striata
Aloe striata
Aloe striata is a small, stemless South African Aloe....
is very popular in the gardening trade and is used for water-wise landscaping worldwide.
External links
- Aloe saponaria at University of Arizona Pima County Cooperative Extension
- Aloe saponaria at Floridata
- Aloe saponaria at Aloes of the Huntington Gardens