Aloe squarrosa, a small short-stemmed aloe with stem and branches formed from the base and lovely, white spotted leaves. Originally described on the basis of herbarium material by I. B. Balfour in 1881, it was for close on 90 years considered distinct from another species, Aloe concinna (later renamed Aloe zanzibarica), but it is clear that both represented one and the same species.
Similar species: Aloe squarrosa is frequently confused with Aloe juvenna from Kenya. However Aloe squarrosa has longer, smooth, spotted leaves that curve markedly backwards and are kept only around the head or top of each stem. Commoner Aloe juvenna has shorter, non-recurved triangular leaves and grows long stems, with the leaves retained all along the stems. Aloe squarrosa is relatively rare in cultivation.
Derivation of specific name: Latin adj “squarrosus”spreading horizontally; curved at the ends in reference to the leaves.
Stem: Thin, erect to pendant, 10-20 cm long, 7-8 mm thick.
Leaves: On a loose rosette, triangular-lanceolate, tapering, spreading, tip recurved, about 5-7(-8) cm long, 2-3 cm wide at the base, leaf surface is rough pale green to yellow-green , with numerous white rounded spots and transverse bands (some forms have no spots and are darker green), margins cartilaginous, armed with firm, triangular, acute teeth, 3-4 mm long, 4-5 mm apart. Leaf sheath amplexicaul. These recurved leaves are kept only around the head or top of each stem, with dead leaves falling off the lower parts of the stem.
Similar species: Aloe squarrosa is frequently confused with Aloe juvenna from Kenya. However Aloe squarrosa has longer, smooth, spotted leaves that curve markedly backwards and are kept only around the head or top of each stem. Commoner Aloe juvenna has shorter, non-recurved triangular leaves and grows long stems, with the leaves retained all along the stems. Aloe squarrosa is relatively rare in cultivation.
Derivation of specific name: Latin adj “squarrosus”spreading horizontally; curved at the ends in reference to the leaves.
Stem: Thin, erect to pendant, 10-20 cm long, 7-8 mm thick.
Leaves: On a loose rosette, triangular-lanceolate, tapering, spreading, tip recurved, about 5-7(-8) cm long, 2-3 cm wide at the base, leaf surface is rough pale green to yellow-green , with numerous white rounded spots and transverse bands (some forms have no spots and are darker green), margins cartilaginous, armed with firm, triangular, acute teeth, 3-4 mm long, 4-5 mm apart. Leaf sheath amplexicaul. These recurved leaves are kept only around the head or top of each stem, with dead leaves falling off the lower parts of the stem.