Aloe pearsonii
Pearson's aloe
Family Asphodelaceae
About
Aloe pearsonii is a distinctive, extremely slow-growing aloe of the arid Richtersveld on the South Africa–Namibia border, now critically endangered.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- Not recorded.
- Growth rate
- The slowest-growing of all aloes.
Field notes
Morphology
Clumps of stiff upright stems carry four neat rows of thick, recurved leaves, red in dry months and blue-green after rain. Branched spikes of red or yellow flowers appear in summer, chiefly January–February. Plants over 2 m tall may be centuries old.
Distribution & habitat
Sandy patches in the rocky Richtersveld mountains, in some of the hottest, driest parts of the region, where rain falls rarely and only in winter; mist may add moisture.
History & etymology
Often grouped with the creeping aloes (A. perfoliata and relatives), though some botanists place it nearer the climbing aloes.
Conservation
Once in dense stands and rated Least Concern, it suffered severe declines during a prolonged drought in 2015–2020.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- South Africa, Namibia
- IUCN status
- Critically endangered
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Crossed A. pearsonii with another species?Register the cross. If it's not documented yet you'll be the first contributor; if someone already registered it, you'll be taken there to add your photo.