Aloe ballyi explained

Aloe ballyi (the "rat aloe") is a species of flowering plant in the family Asphodelaceae, native to Kenya and Tanzania.

Description

This species of Aloe forms tall, slender stems of up to 6 meters. The leaves are long, slender, and mostly straight - only recurving slightly towards the tips. Dead leaves do not long remain on the stem, unlike in the case of most aloes. Unlike most aloes, the "rat aloe" is poisonous.[1]

The flowers are only mildly tubular, with their segments united for 1/3 of their length.

Distribution

It is native to the Eastern Arc Mountains and coastal forests of Kenya and Tanzania. This rare aloe grows in the bush with acacias and succulents.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Plant story - a rare tree from Kenya, Aloe ballyi, has been saved by Millennium Seed Bank partners | Kew . 2017-11-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031416/https://www.kew.org/science/news/plant-story-a-rare-tree-from-kenya-aloe-ballyi-has-been-saved-by-millennium-seed-bank . 2017-12-01 . dead .