''Aloe perfoliata'', the rubble aloe or mitre aloe, is a hardy creeping

aloe ''Aloe'' (; also written ''Aloë'') is a genus containing over 650 species of flowering plant, flowering succulent plant, succulent plants.WFO (2022): Aloe L. Published on the Internet;http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-4000001341. Acc ...

, found in rocky, mountainous areas throughout the

Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Naming and classification

''Aloe perfoliata'' was formerly known as ''Aloe mitriformis''. The physical appearance of this aloe varies greatly depending on environment, and consequently various sub-populations have previously often been mistaken for being separate species. The South African National Biodiversity Institute now recognizes that these are all members of the same species, ''Aloe perfoliata'', comprising what were previously known as ''Aloe mitriformis'', ''Aloe distans'', ''Aloe comptonii'', ''Aloe albispina'' and ''Aloe flavispina'' among others. This species is the most widespread of a group of closely related "Creeping Aloes" ('' Mitriformes''), including the cliff-hanging aloes ''A. meyeri'' and ''A. dabenorisana''(stemless), as well as spotted '' Aloe arenicola'' of the South African west coast and the unusual '' Aloe pearsonii'' of the

Richtersveld The Richtersveld is a desert landscape characterised by rugged kloofs and high mountains, situated in the north-western corner of South Africa’s Northern Cape province. It is full of changing scenery from flat, sandy, coastal plains, to cragg ...

desert.

Appearance

In their natural habitat, these

s have long, prostrate, branching stems of up to 2 meters. Instead of growing upright, they tend to sprawl along the ground and over rocks. While most of the plant lies along the ground, the terminal leaf-bearing head is often erect, facing upwards to the sun. The leaf margins are armed with harmless, little white teeth. The Rubble Aloe is extremely variable-looking, depending on its environment, making it difficult to identify sometimes. Plants growing in full sun develop tightly arranged bluish leaves, while those in the shade have more widely spaced green leaves. During dry conditions, the leaves assume a red colour. The thick, fleshy leaves often curve inwards during times of drought – making the

rosette Rosette is the French diminutive of ''rose''. It may refer to: Flower shaped designs * Rosette (award), a mark awarded by an organisation * Rosette (design), a small flower design *hence, various flower-shaped or rotational symmetric forms: ** R ...

look rather like a

mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) or miter (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, see spelling differences; both pronounced ; ) is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of ...

(until recently this species was known as ''Aloe mitriformis'' because of this resemblance). Aloe perfoliata in flower- Western Cape South Africa 3

Unlike most aloes, which flower in winter, the Rubble Aloe flowers in

summer Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...

. The red flowers appear on stalks, which (befitting the variable nature of this species) vary from being rounded to being cone-shaped.

Distribution

''Aloe perfoliata'' is indigenous to the

and some adjacent areas in the Northern and

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

. Here it typically occurs in mountainous rocky

Fynbos Fynbos (; , ) is a small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation located in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. The area is predominantly coastal and mountainous, with a Mediterranean climate. The fynbos ...

, overflowing into neighboring

Karoo The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe Khoemana (also known as !Orakobab or Korana) word is a semidesert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its extent is ...

and Albany Thicket vegetation. They are usually found in groups among

rubble Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture; undressed especially as a filling-in. Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as 'brash' (compare cornbrash)."Rubble" def. 2., "Brash n. 2. def. 1. ''Oxford English Dictionar ...

and rocky outcrops (hence their Afrikaans name, "''Puin Aalwyn''", or "Rubble Aloe"), growing in clay or sandy soil. These resilient plants tend to prefer flat, rocky places but it is not uncommon to see them hanging on vertical

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of Rock (geology), rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. ...

faces.

Subspecies

* ''A. perfoliata'' subsp. ''mitriformis'': Occurs from Nieuwoudtville as far as Montagu. * ''A. perfoliata'' subsp. ''comptonii'': Occurs from Montagu in the west, as far as Uitenhage in the east. Plants relatively more compact, large and stemless, with elongated green to blue-ish leaves. * ''A. perfoliata'' subsp. ''distans'': Occurs around Saldanha in the Western Cape. Smaller, faster-growing plants with spotted green leaves on their long rambling stems. File:Firedamaged Aloe perfoliata - Hex River Mountains - SA2.jpg, ''A. perfoliata'' var. ''mitriformis'', from the Western Cape. This one showing fire damage. File:Aloe perfoliata-comptonii - Cape Town.jpg, ''A. perfoliata'' var. ''comptonii'', from the eastern Cape. File:Aloe perfoliata var distans - Leaning Pine Arboretum - DSC05771.jpg, ''A. perfoliata'' var. ''distans'', from Saldanha.

Cultivation

A very tough and compact species, it can be grown on embankments, rocky slopes and

wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or serves a decorative purpose. There are various types of walls, including border barriers between countries, brick wal ...

s, and it easily survives through both very hot summers and snow in the winter. These aloes are also used in arid gardens as they

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

in the

(unlike most aloes), but require full sun for maximum flowering. The species can easily be propagated by taking stem cuttings, dried for a day or two and planted in sand.

''Aloe'' × ''nobilis''

A hybrid of ''Aloe perfoliata'' with '' Aloe brevifolia'', named '' Aloe × nobilis'', is very commonly used in landscaping around the world. It is frequently confused with ''Aloe perfoliata'' itself, but ''A. × nobilis'' is a much smaller plant, and has much smaller rosettes. It is usually a light green colour.D. L. Baldwin: ''Succulents Simplified''. Timber Press, 21 May 2013. File:La Palma - Barlovento - Calle La Fajana - Aloe perfoliata 04 ies.jpg, Rosette of the hybrid Aloe "nobilis" File:Ses Salines - Botanicactus - Aloe perfoliata 05 ies.jpg, Aloe nobilis clumps File:Aloe nobilis-Side.jpg, Aloe nobilis showing leaf elongation from shade

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3280517 perfoliata Endemic flora of the Cape Provinces Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus