Aloe suprafoliata Pole Evans
Boekaalwyn, book aloe
This aloe originates from the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, and from neighboring Swaziland. It is not found in the wild in North America. The Afrikaans common name, boekaalwyn, refers to the way the leaves in young specimens (<5 years old) are stacked on each other like the pages of a book.
Plants: This aloe is stemless or short-stemmed.
Leaves: Rosettes of bluish-green to bluish-gray leaves are less than 8″ (20 cm) high, stacked atop each other in two opposite rows. Individual leaves are lanceolate, toothed, and 10–16 ⨉ 1¾–2½″ (25–40 ⨉ 5–7 cm).
Flowers: Between two and six flowering spikes are topped with racemes 2–6½′ (60–200 cm) tall. Flowers are brilliant pink, 1¼–1¾″ (3.3–5 cm) long, appearing in May to July.
Fruits: Seed pods.
Habitats: Shallow soils on rocky slopes or in rock crevices on steep cliffs, in mountain grassland and open woodland.
Online References:
4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland 
4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland 
4/11/1979 · Huntington Library Desert Garden, San Marino, California
ID is uncertain 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Liliidae | Includes lilies, orchids, and many others |
| Order | Asparagales | A diverse group that includes asparagus |
| Family | Xanthorrhoeaceae | Aloes, many tropical plants, flax lilies, daylilies, many others |
| Genus | Aloe | Means “goddess” in ancient Sanskrit, for its reputed use as a beauty aid; some sources suggest that the name comes from Alloeh, meaning “shining bitter substance” |
| Species | suprafoliata | “On top of each other,” in this case, like the pages of a book |
Aloe suprafoliata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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