Eden Project

The Cape Aloes are doing their thing!

One of the highlights for me in the Mediterranean biome in winter is when the Cape Aloes in South Africa throw up their towering, torch-like, gold and scarlet flowers. The Cape Aloe (aloe ferox) is a succulent with huge, fleshy leaves found in a variety of habitats from grassy fynbos to rocky outcrops and semi-desert, creating a stunning winter display.

In their homeland they attract a wealth of wildlife including many bird species like sunbirds, mousebirds, weavers and glossy starlings. Insects, monkeys and baboons also visit the flowers looking for nectar. This plant is a great favourite in South African gardens and can be grown here in milder areas, preferably on a south-facing slope where free-draining soils keep their stem and roots reasonably dry in winter.

The Cape Aloe is famous for its healing properties and is used in pharmaceuticals as an anti-septic, anti-inflammatory, cleansing and moisturizing agent and is reputed to contain more vitamins, minerals and amino acids than Aloe vera. It has been harvested as a renewable resource by generations of indigenous peoples, long before the arrival of European settlers. The yellow sap found just below the surface of the fleshy leaves is the source of ‘Cape aloes’ – an intensely bitter-tasting drug with laxative properties, also used in the treatment of arthritis. The gel-like flesh from inside the leaves is used in cosmetic preparations and also makes a pleasant tasting health drink. No wonder this plant has been called ‘a pharmacy in a plant’!

Shirley Walker, Skilled Horticulturist

Comments:

No comments

Category:

• Horticulture

Tags:

Aloes, Mediterranean Biome