| Aloe maculata | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| clade: | Angiosperms |
| clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Xanthorrhoeaceae |
| Subfamily: | Asphodeloideae |
| Genus: | Aloe |
| Species: | A. maculata |
| Binomial name | |
| Aloe maculata |
|
Aloe maculata (commonly known as the Soap Aloe or Zebra Aloe) is a Southern African species of aloe.
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This species was previously known as Aloe saponaria (a name that came from the Latin "sapo" meaning soap, as the sap makes a soapy lather in water). Its currently accepted name, according to the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), is Aloe maculata ("maculata" means speckled or marked).
Local people in South Africa know it informally as the "Bontaalwyn" in Afrikaans, or "Lekhala" in the Sesotho language.[1]
The Soap Aloe is highly adaptable and is naturally found in a wide range of habitats across Southern Africa, from Zimbabwe in the north, to the Cape Peninsula in the south. Specifically, it is native to southern and eastern South Africa, south-eastern Botswana and Zimbabwe.
In addition, it is now planted around the world as a popular landscape plant in warm desert regions - especially in the United States, where it is the most popular ornamental aloe in the Tucson, Arizona area, and also popular in California.
It is a very variable species and hybridizes easily with other similar Aloes, sometimes making it difficult to identify. The leaves range in colour from red to green, but always have distinctive "H-shaped" spots. The flowers are similarly variable in colour, ranging from bright red to yellow, but are always bunched in a distinctively flat-topped raceme. The inflorescence is borne on the top of a tall, multi-branched stalk and the seeds are reputedly poisonous.
The juice from the leaves is traditionally used as soap by local people. [2]
Plants are damaged by temperatures below 32°F (0°C), but recover quickly. In a suitable climate, soap aloes require little attention once established. [3] Aloe maculata is very salt tolerant — a good choice for seaside gardens.[4]
A hybrid between A. maculata and A. striata is very popular in the gardening trade and is used for water-wise landscaping worldwide.