Spiral aloe

This aloe’s leaves form a perfect spiral – it grows only in the mountains of Lesotho and is the kingdom’s national flower.

Aloe polyphylla is a stemless succulent that forms a globe-shaped rosette up to 60–80 cm across, made up of several dozen grey-green leaves with spiny teeth. In mature plants the leaves are arranged in five distinct rows twisted into a spiral – clockwise or anticlockwise. In spring and early summer a branched inflorescence appears with salmon-red, more rarely yellow, flowers pollinated by sunbirds. It grows on steep basalt slopes at 2,000–2,500 m, where snow often lies in winter and the rocks are constantly wet with trickling water.

Significance in the country

The spiral aloe is endemic to Lesotho and is its national flower; it is protected by law, and taking it out of the country is banned. Even so, plundering of plants by collectors and grazing have reduced wild populations, and the species is regarded as endangered.

Where it grows

Steep basalt slopes of the Maloti Mountains, mainly in central and south-western Lesotho – including the Thaba Putsoa range (Maseru District) and the districts of Mohale’s Hoek, Thaba-Tseka and Qacha’s Nek.

More: Wikipedia (en)