''Aloidendron pillansii'', formerly ''Aloe pillansii'', the giant quiver tree or bastard quiver tree, is a large, branching species of

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 ...

indigenous to

southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No definition is agreed upon, but some groupings include the United Nations geoscheme for Africa, United Nations geoscheme, the intergovernmental Southern African Development Community, and ...

. It is regarded as

critically endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

Description

''Aloidendron pillansii'' grows up to 15 m in height. It branches dichotomously, and superficially resembles ''

Aloidendron dichotomum ''Aloidendron dichotomum'', formerly ''Aloe dichotoma'', the quiver tree or kokerboom, is a tall, branching species of succulent plant, indigenous to Southern Africa, specifically in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, and parts of Southe ...

''. It can be distinguished by its paler, wider, recurved leaves, and its taller, more sparsely branched growth form. The branches are made of a fiber that is soft and penetrable, which allows them to store water. Because of its habitat, the ''Aloidendron pillansii'' can shed itself of its branches and leaves if they deem detrimental to its survival. Its round, bright yellow flowers are pendant, and hang down below the rosette (unlike those of the other tree aloes). They appear in Spring.

Distribution

It is found around the border between

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

and

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 ...

, where its natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

is upper mountain slopes, in the arid winter-rainfall

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 ...

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...

. It is severely threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

, illegal collecting, and livestock grazing. The species will not survive without intervention.

Cultivation

It rarely appears in cultivation, as it is an extremely slow growing species, and difficult to cultivate. It requires full sun, extremely well-drained rocky mineral soil, and very dry conditions. In habitat, it grows on rocky slopes in a desert region which receives its sparse rainfall predominantly in the winter.

References

* * * * * * *Vernon, Trail, Jesse. ''Quiver Trees, Phantom Orchids & Rock Splitters : The Remarkable Survival Strategies of Plants'', ECW Press, 2015. ''ProQuest Ebook Central'', *Duncan, J., Hoffman, T., Rohde, R. ''et al.'' Long-term population changes in the Giant Quiver Tree, ''Aloe pillansii'' in the Richtersveld, South Africa. ''Plant Ecol'' 185, 73–84 (2006). Asphodeloideae Flora of Namibia Flora of the Cape Provinces Critically endangered plants Trees of South Africa Drought-tolerant trees Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Asphodelaceae-stub