Aloe greatheadii Schönland
var. greatheadii

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Service station along Masvingo - Great Zimbabwe road.

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Synonyms:
Common names:	Greathead's spotted leaf aloe (English)
Frequency:	Common
Status:	Native
Description:	Single stemless plants, which do not sucker. The dark leaves are clearly spotted with elongated markings. One to three much branched inflorescences per plant may grow up to 1.7 m. Each raceme carries 30 to 40 flowers, the colour varying from pale pink to orange-red.
Notes:	The flowerbuds are regarded as a delicacy but, when prepared wrongly they may cause vomiting. The sap from aloe leaves is said to be a cure for conjunctivitis. A porridge made of chopped and boiled young leaves is used as a cure for venereal disease.
Derivation of specific name:	greatheadii: after Dr J.B. Greathead who collected the type specimen with Dr S. Schönland.
Habitat:	In wooded grassland and open woodland, it is both frost and fire tolerant.
Altitude range: (metres)	1000 - 1660 m
Flowering time:	Jun - Jul
Worldwide distribution:	Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Zimbabwe distribution:	N,W,C,E,S
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Images last updated:	Monday 8 August 2016
Literature:	Carter, S. (2001). Aloaceae Flora Zambesiaca 12(3) Pages 71 - 73. As Aloe greatheadii (Includes a picture). Chapano, C. & Mugarisanwa, N.H. (2003). Plants of the Matobo District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 3. As Aloe greatheadii davyana Chapano, C. & Mugarisanwa, N.H. (2003). Plants of the Matobo District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Pages 3 - 4. Linley, K. & Baker, B. (1972). Flowers of the Veld Bundu Series Longman Zimbabwe Page 14. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 84. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 107. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 115. West, O. (1974). A Field Guide to the Aloes of Rhodesia. Longman, Salisbury Pages 54 - 56. (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Aloe greatheadii var. greatheadii:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Aloe greatheadii var. greatheadii
Flora of Zambia: Aloe greatheadii var. greatheadii

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Aloe greatheadii
African Plant Database: Aloe greatheadii
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Aloe greatheadii
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Aloe greatheadii
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Aloe greatheadii
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Aloe greatheadii
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Aloe greatheadii
JSTOR Plant Science: Aloe greatheadii
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Aloe greatheadii
Plants of the World Online: Aloe greatheadii
Tropicos: Aloe greatheadii
Wikipedia: Aloe greatheadii