When kept too long they are parasitized by small crawling insects. Gonialoe variegata is best grown from seeds. variegata is not known to be eaten by many animals except occasionally by rock hyrax, porcupine, and hare. The plant in itself is very tough and can survive for several seasons without water, at which point the leaves turn brown to reddish, a sign generally associated with stress. The seeds are small, up to 4mm and slightly winged enabling it to be dispersed by the wind. After fertilization, the fruits, grow quickly and split into 3 parts in spring and summer. Without the flowers, it would be a very difficult task to find the plants, as the mottled appearance of the leaves ensures an almost perfect camouflage in the karroid veld. In habitat, this is particularly noticeable when the small plant advertises itself by its bright flowers that tower out of the small bushes in which it shelters. It is quite remarkable how large the inflorescence can be, compared to the size of the plant. Gonialoe variegata produces nectar and is therefore pollinated by sugarbirds as well as winged and crawling insects such as ants which are small enough to enter the flower tube in which the nectar is stored.
sladeniana by the fact that it is a much more robust plant in all respects and it also bears more densely flowered racemes. It can be distinguished from the related and exclusively Namibian G.
Growing spiral aloe from seeds in zone 8b windows#
It was and probably still is the most popular aloe grown in the temperate climates of Europe and the UK, especially in greenhouses, on suburban windowsills and in the dusty windows of pubs (Smith & Van Wyk 2008). variegata was one of the species grown in the Dutch East India Company's garden in Cape Town in 1695. variegata was that in Pere Tachard's Second voyage de Siam in 1689 in the Paris edition, and is also the first published of any South African aloe (Reynolds 1950). The first illustration of the plant was made by Claudius in Van Der Stel's journal which was never published. Gonialoe variegata was first found by Simon Van Der Stel's expedition to Namaqualand on 16 October 1685, in the vicinity of Copperberg in the Springbok District of the Northern Cape. The common Afrikaans name kanniedood when translated to English means 'cannot die', and refers to the plant's ability to survive for a number of years without water. The specific epithet variegata is Latin and means 'irregularly spotted', referring to the attractive spotted bands on the leaf surfaces. The name Gonialoe probably refers to the way the leaves are v-shaped, or angled, in cross-section, unlike most aloes which have smoothly rounded leaf undersides (John Manning, pers. The genus name Gonialoe is derived from the Greek gonia, meaning 'an angle' and the genus Aloe, which is derived from the Arabic, alloch and translated as allal in Greek and Hebrew, literally meaning 'bitter' or 'bitter sap' which is descriptive of aloe sap. Seeds ripen normally around September to November. Seeds are typically winged, small, up to 3 mm, and produced in abundance. Flowers are 35-45 mm long and flowering time is July to September.Īs with other members of the Aspodelaceae, the fruit is a capsule that splits into three when ripe. Flowers may vary from a flesh-pink to dull red, rarely yellow. The inflorescence is a raceme and is mostly branched with hanging flowers that are quite abundant and beautiful after good rains. The leaf margins have closely spaced small teeth along a white horny edge. White markings, spots or blotches that form irregular transverse bands, decorate both surfaces of the densely overlapping leaves. The leaf colour may be variable depending on the habitat and climatic conditions: deep green in good years or chocolate brown when plants have experienced drought stress. On occasions the leaves form a very attractive spiral twist as the plant ages. The leaves are lanceolate-deltoid, about 150-200 mm long, and are arranged in three ranks of 6-8 leaves each, have a ridge or keel along the lower surface and are without spines or prickles. Plants may be found as solitary individuals but are most commonly encountered in small groups of up to 7 or 8 plants which form dense rosettes through underground suckers. Gonialoe variegata is classified as a dwarf aloe and is grouped together with various other aloes that reach a height of no more than 250 mm.
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