Reinstatement ofAloe barbertoniaePole-Evans (Asphodelaceae: Alooideae) from northeastern South Africa

Abstract

Aloe barbertoniae Pole-Evans, which has previously been included in the synonymy of A. greatheadii Schonland var. davyana (Schonland) Glen & D.S.Hardy, is here reinstated. This species is adapted to the subtropics of northeastern South Africa where it occurs in the Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces. It can be distinguished from A. greatheadii var. davyana by generally being a more robust plant with longer leaves and larger flowers, as well as an inflorescence that has more branches and that often rebranch. Although both the floral bracts and pedicels are shorter than in A. greatheadii var. davyana, the lowermost floral bracts of A. barbertoniae are markedly longer than the pedicels (not of equal length). The dull stripes on the perianth segments are less conspicuous than in A. greatheadii var. davyana.