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''Aloiampelos decumbens'', formerly ''Aloe decumbens'', the Langeberg rambling-aloe, is a sprawling,
succulent plant
In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meanin ...
that is endemic to the fynbos vegetation of the Langeberg Mountains near Swellendam
Swellendam () is the third oldest town in South Africa (after Cape Town and Stellenbosch), a town with 17,537 inhabitants situated in the Western Cape province. The town has over 50 provincial heritage sites, most of them buildings of Cape D ...
and Riversdale in 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 ...
.
Description
This plant isdecumbent
This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...
- as its name suggests - and its long, thin branches sprawl for up to 1 meter along the ground and over the rocky outcrops where it grows.
Its bright scarlet flowers appear on and off throughout the year, regardless of season, though usually in January and December.
The individual flowers are brightly coloured and large like those of '' A. ciliaris''. However they appear only very sparsely on the relatively small, thin inflorescence. They also share the long, slender perianth of '' A. gracilis'' - not ''A. ciliariss green-tinted and constricted opening to the perianth.
Natural distribution
''Aloiampelos decumbens'' survives in small, isolated pockets growing in coarse sandstone sands, on cliffs and steep slopes in theLangeberg
The Langeberg Range is a mountain range in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its highest peak is Keeromsberg at 2,072 m that lies 15 km northeast of the town of Worcester. Some of the highest peaks of the range are located just ...
mountain range of 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 ...
. Of the eight isolated sub-populations, one exists as far west as the vicinity of Swellendam, and one population is protected in the Boosmansbos Wilderness Area.
It is possible that further undiscovered populations survive in the remote and inaccessible Cape Fold mountains.
Taxonomy
This plant is sometimes described as being merely an isolated subspecies of ''Aloiampelos gracilis
''Aloiampelos gracilis'', formerly ''Aloe gracilis'', the rocket aloe, is a succulent plant, endemic to dry thicket vegetation around the city of Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Its natural range lies just to the west of the related '' Aloiampelo ...
'' which occurs much further east in the area around Port Elizabeth
Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipal ...
. ''Aloiampelos decumbens'' is also clearly a close relative of ''Aloiampelos juddii
''Aloiampelos juddii'', formerly ''Aloe juddii'', the Koudeberg aloe, is a newly discovered species that is native to a few rocky outcrops and a farm ("Farm 215"), near to Cape Agulhas in the Western Cape, South Africa.
Description
It is one o ...
'' which similarly occurs only in an isolated pocket of fynbos vegetation, further west near Cape Agulhas
Cape Agulhas (; , "Cape of Needles") is a rocky headland in Western Cape, South Africa. It is the geographic southern tip of Africa and the beginning of the traditional dividing line between the Atlantic and Indian oceans according to the In ...
. However, among other key differences, ''Aloiampelos decumbens'' is a much thinner and more decumbent species.
See also
* ''Aloiampelos juddii
''Aloiampelos juddii'', formerly ''Aloe juddii'', the Koudeberg aloe, is a newly discovered species that is native to a few rocky outcrops and a farm ("Farm 215"), near to Cape Agulhas in the Western Cape, South Africa.
Description
It is one o ...
''
* ''Aloiampelos commixta
''Aloiampelos commixta'' is a flowering plant in the Asphodelaceae family. It is commonly called Table Mountain aloe, and is a rare succulent plant that is endemic to the Cape Peninsula, South Africa. It naturally occurs only on the Table Mount ...
''
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q42729459, from2=Q2649929 Asphodeloideae Endemic flora of the Cape Provinces