| Aloiampelos tenuior | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asphodelaceae |
| Subfamily: | Asphodeloideae |
| Tribe: | Aloeae |
| Genus: | Aloiampelos |
| Species: | A. tenuior |
| Binomial name | |
| Aloiampelos tenuior (Haw.) Klopper & Gideon F.Sm.[1] | |
 | |
| range in turquoise | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Aloiampelos tenuior, formerlyAloe tenuior, thefence aloe, is a bushy, multi-branchedsucculent plant from the grasslands and thickets of theEastern Cape,Kwazulu Natal andMpumalanga,South Africa. Its preferred habitat is sandy soils in open country, unlike many of its relatives that favour thicket vegetation. It is one of the most profuselyflowering of all aloes and their relatives.[2]
Locally, this plant is known asiKhalene inXhosa,inTelezi inFengu, and simply the fence aloe inEnglish. Thespecific epithettenuior means "very slender", and refers to the plant's stems.[3]
A medium-sized, bushy plant that forms clumps up to 3 m tall, with leaves tufted at the ends of branches. The leaves have a distinctive greyish-green colour and the leaf margins have tiny white teeth. These leaves are a traditional remedy fortapeworm.
An unusually large, woody rootstock usually forms on the ground at the base of the plant.
Like all species in the genus, flowers are borne on slender racemes and are usually bright yellow (although there are red-flowered forms, sometimes called var.rubriflora).
Aloiampelos tenuior flowers throughout the year, but especially in winter, and the small flowers appear on thin, un-branchedracemes.[4]
Aloiampelos tenuior is an extremely variable species. TheWorld Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) does not recognize any varieties, treating them all as synonyms of the species.[1] Varieties recognized by some sources include:[5]
Aloiampelos tenuior is part of a genus includingAloiampelos ciliaris (which occurs in the dry thicket from Ciskei to Baviaanskloof),Aloiampelos gracilis (which occurs to the west in dry thicket fromPort Elizabeth through the Baviaanskloof),Aloiampelos striatula (found to the north on higher, rocky mountain tops), andAloiampelos decumbens,Aloiampelos juddii andAloiampelos commixta which occur only in isolated pockets in the coarse sandstone sands ofWestern CapeFynbos.
However,Aloiampelos tenuior can be distinguished from its relatives by its thin, greyish, non-recurved leaves.[6]