Name
Mountain Aloe
Latin Name
Aloe marlothii
Description
Mountain Aloe is a tall, single-stemmed tree aloe with fleshy, blue-grey leaves, armed with small spines; they also contain a yellowish, slimy sap. The sap has been used to treat stomach ailments for many centuries. The flowers are carried on stout stems; they are more or less tubular in shape.
Orange flowers on branched 'arms' appear from June to August. The stem is also covered in dry leaves. The plants are protected from grazing by fierce thorns and bitter sap.
Habitat
Aloe marlothii is found from North-West Province, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumulanga, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique to KwaZulu-Natal.
Field Notes
As with most Aloes the Mountain Aloe is used for a number of remedies with the Zulus using leaf and root decoctions roundworm infestations and by other cultures for stomach problems and horse sickness.
