Aloe perfoliata

[Geoff]

Don't know what that is, but certainly not Aloe perfoliata. Aloe perfoliata is actually a complex of various aloes that have the exact same flower type, which I split up on this site into the three varieties. This does not match flower or leaf form.. .Looks like an Aloe microstigma to me

See Aloe mitriformis… I put them all under that heading as did the folks who wrote the last Definitive Aloe guide. But you will see none of these plants even closely resemble your aloe, so am not sure who came up with that name.

[mickthecactus]

It was given by Colin Walker, one of the authors of The Definitive Guide!

This was his comment last May -

Brian, this story is quite complex so here's a potted version. A. perfoliata is the type of the genus, but until relatively recently we didn't know what plants this name should be applied to.

Glen & Hardy in Flora of Southern Africa (2000) thought that the name A. perfoliata should be applied to what we know as A. mitriformis. They didn't explain their reasoning and aloe experts haven't followed them, including yours truly in Aloes. The Definitive Guide. This matches with your story.

Most recently in The Cactician Vol. 1, 2013 (sorry, I don't have the proper ref. to hand but can supply later) Roy Mottram has put forward a convincing case that A. perfoliata is the correct name for what we'd previously understood to be A. microstigma. Hence A. microstigma = A. perfoliata.

[Geoff]

Oh, well in that case, if there is a synonymy there, it could be correct… never heard that myself, though.

[mickthecactus]

What ever it is, I think it's a pretty good looking plant.

Might even be a hybrid.

[mickthecactus]

IMG_3342.JPG (84.47 KiB) Viewed 1942 times

An up to date picture -

[mickthecactus]

IMG_20191110_1254255_rewind.jpg (73.4 KiB) Viewed 1790 times

[RCDS66]

Most recently in The Cactician Vol. 1, 2013 (sorry, I don't have the proper ref. to hand but can supply later) Roy Mottram has put forward a convincing case that A. perfoliata is the correct name for what we'd previously understood to be A. microstigma. Hence A. microstigma = A. perfoliata.

This is a very interesting observation. In cultivation I see that A. microstigma usually has erect inward bending leaves whereas A. perfoliata has flatter looking leaves that are drooping downwards. Perhaps it resembles A. mitriformis more than A. microstigma but I am not sure. My plants of perfoliata, microstigma and mitriformis are still young. Anyone who has mature specimens can comment better.