Aloe spicata
L.f.
XanthorrhoeaceaeLeaves
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(c) Brian du Preez, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Brian du Preez
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Simon Attwood, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Simon Attwood
(c) Simon Attwood, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Simon Attwood
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves - potash
The leaves are used as a source of potash.
Where to Find It
It is a subtropical plant.
Africa, Mozambique, Siswati, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe,
Countries: Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Benin, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Comoros, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
How to Identify
A shrub. It grows 1-2 m tall. There are about 30 leaves in a ring. They are often slightly curved and 50-70 cm long by 5-9 cm wide.
Notes
Also put in the family Asphodelaceae.
Names & Synonyms
Aloe sessiliflora Pole-Evans
References (2)
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 31
- Welcome, A. K. & Van Wyk, B.-E., 2019, An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 136–179
