Reinstatement of Aloe candelabrum A. Berger (Asphodelaceae: Alooideae), a tree-like aloe of KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa
Author
Smith, Gideon F.
Centre for Functional Ecology, Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Universidade de Coimbra, 3001 - 455 Coimbra, Portugal & Department of Botany, P. O. Box 77000, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, 6031 South Africa
smithgideon1@gmail.com
Author
Klopper, Ronell R.
Biosystematics Research and Biodiversity Collections Division, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Private Bag X 101, Pretoria, 0001 South Africa & H. G. W. J. Schweickerdt Herbarium, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002 South Africa
R.Klopper@sanbi.org.za
Author
Crouch, Neil R.
Biodiversity Research, Assessment and Monitoring, South African National Biodiversity Institute, P. O. Box 52099, 4007 Berea Road, South Africa & School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, 4041 Durban, South Africa.
N.Crouch@sanbi.org.za
Author
Figueiredo, Estrela
Centre for Functional Ecology, Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Universidade de Coimbra, 3001 - 455 Coimbra, Portugal & Department of Botany, P. O. Box 77000, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, 6031 South Africa
epnfigueiredo@gmail.com
text
Bradleya
2016
2016-11-01
34
59
69
https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/5c8cac26-cdb4-3edb-b08f-639da0e2eeed/
journal article
10.25223/brad.n34.2016.a21
7864084
Taxonomy of
Aloe candelabrum
The name
Aloe candelabrum
A.Berger is listed as an illegitimate name (
nom. illeg.
) in databases such as The Plant List (http://www.theplant list.org/). This originates from a wrong entry in
Index Keaeensis
for
Aloe candelabrum
Tod.
in
Hortus Botanicus Panormitanus
:
46
(1876)
that has been taken up in IPNI (http://www.ipni.org/). As both names [
Aloe candelabrum
Tod. (1876)
and
Aloe candelabrum
A.
Berger (1906)
] are listed in IPNI, and the former is regarded as having priority, Berger’s name appears to be an illegitimate later homonym (
Reynolds, 1950
) and has been treated as such by some authors (e.g.
Govaerts, 2016
). However, in
Todaro (1876
–1878: 66 [not page 46 as given in
Index Keaeensis
and
IPNI
]) the name published is in fact
Agaoe candelabrum
Tod.
, which is probably a synonym of
Agaoe cantala
(Haw.) Roxb. ex Salm-Dyck (see
Gentry, 1982
).
Aloe candelabrum
A.Berger is therefore legitimate (
Figueiredo & Smith, 2012
Reference by
Jacobsen (1986: 150)
to “
Aloe candelabrum
Engl. & Drude
” is incorrect as these authors did not actually publish a later homonym of
Aloe candelabrum
A.
Berger (1906: 246)
. Rather,
Engler & Drude (1908: 415
, Fig. 353) misidentified a population of
Aloe thraskii
, South Africa’s Dune aloe, as constituting
Aloe candelabrum
.
).
Figure 15.
The arrangement of leaf prickles on this
Aloe candelabrum
plant at Izingolweni in southern KwaZulu-Natal is comparable to that observed in some
Aloe ferox
specimens from the Eastern Cape province. Photograph: Geoff Nichols.
Figure 16.
Known geographical distribution range of
Aloe candelabrum
(orange shading) and
Aloe ferox
(red shading) in southern Africa (South Africa and Lesotho).
Figure 17.
A white-flowering plant of
Aloe candelabrum
at Izingolweni in southern KwaZulu- Natal. Photograph: Geoff Nichols.
Aloe candelabrum
A.Berger in
Notizblatt des Königlichen Botanischen Gartens und Museums zu Berlin-Dahlem
4
(38): 246 (1906).
A.Berger in
Das Pflanzenreich
IV. 38
. III. II.
Heft
33
: 306 (1908)
;
Dyer in
The Floaeering Plants of South Africa
24
: t. 945 (1944);
Groenewald,
Die aalaeyne oan Suid-Afrika, Suidaees-Afrika, Portugees Oos-Afrika, Saeaziland, Basoetoeland, en ’n spesiale ondersoek oan die klassifikasie, chromosome en areale oan die
Aloe Maculatae
:
66
(1941)
;
Reynolds,
The aloes of
South Africa: 468–470 (1950)
;
Jeppe,
South African aloes
: 39 and plate on following page (1969);
Jacobsen,
Lexicon of succulent plants. Short descriptions, habitats and synonymy of succulent plants other than
Cactaceae
: 74 (1970)
;
Bornman & Hardy,
Aloes of the South African oeld
: 260–261 (1971);
Jacobsen,
A handbook of succulent plants, ool. 1
: 149–150 (1986);
Smith & Van Wyk,
Aloes in southern Africa
: 86 (2008)
;
Grace
et al
.,
The aloe names book
: 30 (2011).
Type: [
South Africa
] Flora of Natal, N [
Natal
]
Botanic Gardens
,
July 1890
,
J. Medley Wood
4345
(B†,
holo-
;
US
US00680243
!, iso-)
.
Note: The
holotype
is not extant at B and was probably destroyed in 1943, during WWII (R. Vogt, pers. comm. on
28 July 2016
).
Description
Solitary, arborescent plant up to
2–4m
high.
Stem
simple, erect, 2–4(–8)m high, densely covered with persistent, down-curved, dried leaves.
Leaoes
densely rosulate, spreading to recurved, dull green to glaucous, without spots, surfaces smooth, lanceolate-ensiform, ±
100cm
long,
15cm
wide at base, lower surface with few spines in median line near apex, occasionally with few scattered spines; margin reddish, cartilaginous, with pungent, reddish to brownish red, deltoid teeth, ±
3mm
long,
15–20mm
apart; exudate honey coloured.
Inflorescence
usually single, ±
1m
high, erect, 5- to 12-branched from below middle, branches erect.
Peduncle
stout, somewhat sulcate, compressed low down; with several sterile bracts below racemes.
Racemes
cylindric, slightly acuminate,
50–80cm
long, ±
10cm
wide, terminal raceme often the longest, presenting higher than lateral racemes, very dense; buds horizontal, flowers horizontal or nodding when open.
Floral bracts
ovate-deltoid, ±
10mm
long, ±
5mm
wide, white, thin, scarious, 5- to 7-nerved.
Pedicels
6mm
long.
Floaeers
:
perianth
scarlet, sometimes rose-pink or orange, with white or pale segment tips, ±
32 mm
long, ±
5mm
across ovary, widening above ovary to ±
8mm
towards slightly upturned mouth, clavate-cylindric, slightly ventricose; outer segments free for
16–22mm
, tips spreading to slightly flared;
stamens
with filiform-flattened filaments, included part lemon, exserted part deep orange to purplish, exserted
20mm
;
ooary
6mm
long,
3mm
diameter, green;
style
with included portion lemon, exserted portion yellow, exserted
20mm
.
Chromosome number
: 2
n
= 14 (
Vosa, 1982
).
Additional specimens examined
SOUTH AFRICA
:
KWAZULU-NATAL
.—2830 (
Dundee
):
Meduna
,
Klip River Distr
. (–
CB
),
16 July 1915
,
E. Keeling & I.B. Pole Eoans
110
(
K
)
;
2831 (
Nkandla
):
Zululand region
.,
Heatonville
(–
DB
),
6 June 1945
,
M.G. de Waal
A & B
(
NH
)
;
2929 (
Underberg
):
Mpendhle Distr
.,
Mkhomazi State Forest
, N-facing slopes of
Mulangane
(–
DB
),
27 July 1985
,
Pitchford
s.n.
(
K
,
PRE
)
;
2930 (
Pietermaritzburg
):
Richmond Distr
.,
Aloe Corner
(–
C
),
13 July 1966
,
E.J. Moll
3283
(
K
,
PRE
)
;
Maritzburg
(–
CB
),
7 April 1916
,
E.M. Doidge
165
(
K
;
PRE
)
;
Pietermaritzburg
,
Otto’s
Bluff
(–
CB
),
August 1943
,
F.Z. oan der Meraee
2666
(
PRE
)
;
Inchanga
, between
Durban
and
Pietermaritzburg
(–
DA
),
2 June 1935
,
G.W. Reynolds
1397
(
PRE
)
;
Inchanga
, about
25 miles
west of
Durban
(–
DA
),
May 1954
,
L.C. Leach
101
(
PRE
)
;
Ndwedwe
,
3 miles
west of Ndwedwe (–
DB
),
13 July 1966
,
E.J. Moll
3287B, C, D
(
PRE
)
;
Mariannhill
(–
DD
),
July 1916
,
H.W.R. Marloth
7339
(
PRE
)
;
2931 (
Stanger
):
Msundusi
,
Coll
.
Foxen’s farm
(–
CA
),
2 August 1928
,
J.W. Beaes
255
(
PRE
)
;
3029 (
Kokstad
):
Harding District
(–
DB
),
3
July 1953
,
J. Gibbs
s.n
. (
K
)
;
3030 (
Port Shepstone
):
Ixopo
(–
AA
),
June 1936
,
G.G. Smith
150
(
PRE
)
;
Alexandra County
,
Friedenau
,
Umgaye Flats
(–
AD
),
24 July 1910
,
H.H. Rudatis
809
(
PRE
)
;
Port Shepstone
,
Horseshoe Farm
(–
CA
),
5 August 1965
,
R.G. Strey
5876
(
NH
,
PRE
)
;
Umtamvuna
,
Gundrift
,
Mpunzi bridge
(–
CC
),
14 June 1969
,
R.G. Strey
8704
(
NH
,
PRE
)
;
Umtamvuna
Nature Reserve
,
Protea Point
(–
CC
),
25 June 1987
,
A. Abbott
3947
(
NH
,
PCE
)
.
Common names
: See
Grace
et al.
(2011: 30)
for a comprehensive list.
Flowering time
: Mid-winter (June–July; Southern Hemisphere).