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Aloe marlothii, aka mountain aloe, spiny aloe,
flat-flowered aloe or in Afrikaans bergaalwyn or boomaalwyn, is a succulent
typically reaching 10-12' in height with a thick trunk often covered
with old dried leaves. At the top of the stem is a dense rosette of
broadly lance-shaped fleshy gray-green and sometimes glaucous leaves.
The leaves are spine-studded on both surfaces and the margins are sharply
red-brown toothed. Mountain aloe ranges from the KwaZulu-Natal region
of eastern South Africa to Mozambique, Botswana and Zimbabwe. The tubular
flowers which are produced from May to September are usually a bright
orange-red, but may also be of a more yellowish hue. The complex branching
inflorescence can have up to 30 more or less horizontal racemes. The
species name was given to honor the famous South African botanist, botanical
explorer and plant collector HermannWilhelm Rudolf Marloth (1855-1931).
Aloe marlothii is synonymous with Aloe spectabilis.
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