Aloe cooperi explained

Aloe cooperi, also known as Cooper's aloe^[1] and as iPutumane in Zulu, is a succulent species that is endemic to Southern Africa. It has significant cultural and economic value to the Zulu people of South Africa.

Distribution

This plant can be found along the southern warm coastal parts of Kwazulu-Natal and north up to the colder mountainous regions of Eswatini and Mpumalanga.^[2]

Uses

• Young shoots and flowers are often cooked and eaten as vegetables by the Zulu people, they also believe that smoke from burning leaves in the cattle kraal will prevent the effects on cattle of eating improper food.^[3]
• The plant's juice has been fed to horses to rid them of ticks.^[4]
• The plant attracts nectar feeding birds, this made it a popular garden plant in South Africa.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Web site: ITIS - Aloe cooperi. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 31 December 2015.
2. Book: Court, Doreen . Succulent Flora of Southern Africa. CRC Press . 2000 . 9789058093233 .
3. Web site: Aloe cooperi. www.plantzafrica.com. 2015-12-31. 2008-09-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20080920015355/http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/aloecooperi.htm. dead.
4. Web site: Operation wildflower.
5. Web site: Aloe cooperi. lifestyleseeds.co.za. 2015-12-31.