Aloe Ramosissima and Other Richtersveld Aloes in South Africa

• Jan Emming

In honor of me having procured and planted three different 15-gallon pots of Aloe ramosissima here at D:F Ranch, I decided to craft a post on them in habitat using photos I took on my September 2009 trip to South Africa, which was my first time in that nation. As I combed through archival photos of the trip, I added a half dozen other aloe species endemic to the Richtersveld region, where A. ramosissima also grows. Let’s get started!

Aloe ramosissima, sometimes called the maiden’s quiver tree, is an uncommon shrub-forming aloe of far northwestern South Africa. I believe that the species has been recently reclassified into the genus Aloidendron, to reflect some taxonomic changes in the large and diverse aloe family. The name Aloidendron literally translates to “aloe tree” and has been applied to about a half dozen of the larger, more arborescent species in the family. For the purposes of this album, however, I will stick with the original Latin name of Aloe ramosissima since it is widely familiar to aloe enthusiasts.
The specific epithet of “ramosissima” means “highly branched”, referring to the most obvious characteristic of the species.
With age, Aloe ramosissima plants can easily form hundreds of small branches on a sessile trunk-like base, which develops into a dense and rounded crown of up to around two meters tall.
Aloe ramosissima is endemic to the Richtersveld region of the Northern Cape Province of western South Africa. Its range is centered on the valleys surrounding the mouth of the Orange River on both sides of the borderlands between South Africa and Namibia.
These remarkable plants are not particularly common anywhere, and populations are low and widely scattered. Their restricted natural range makes them potentially vulnerable to various environmental and human factors, including climate change, overgrazing by livestock, and diamond mining.
The region where Aloe ramosissima is found is referred to as the Richtersveld. It is very arid, with generally not more than 4 to 5 inches (100-125 mm) of annual rainfall in most zones.
Despite the low annual precipitation of the Richtersveld, the region has a rather high level of biological diversity, especially when taken together with adjacent regions in South Africa and Namibia to the north and south of the Orange River Valley. The orange and reddish tinted aloes in the background are Aloe gariepensis, which will be covered more later in this post.
The Richtersveld region is home to numerous species of succulents, a large proportion of which are endemic, meaning they are found nowhere else in the wild. Aloe ramosissima is one of these endemic succulents, as is the red Aloe gariepensis.
As one might expect with plants that attain significant mature sizes, Aloe ramosissima develops a distinctive character, and each individual will appear unique with age.
The Orange River forms the international border between South Africa and Namibia in this part of the African continent. Aloe ramosissima calls this torrid landscape home.
Aloe ramosissima clearly favors growing in rocky terrain, and sometimes occupies narrow clefts in rocky outcrops of local granite, quartzite, and ancient sandstones.
Even though soil volume and root space may be lacking in rocky clefts between granitic boulders, many plants perform better here than in deeper and sandier soils only a few meters away. Part of this is due to the fact that the rocks provide protection to small seedlings, sheltering them from the worst aspects of hot sun, cold winter nights, and animal depredation. But the largest contributing factor to the survival of Aloe ramosissima seedlings may well be the simple fact that impervious rocks shed precious rainwater and concentrate it in the root zones of the plants that call the crevices home. In a region that naturally receives only a few inches of rainfall per year, this water shedding effect can easily double, triple, or even quadruple the effective moisture delivered to the plants. In a place where margins of survival due to aridity are so narrow, this can make all the difference in terms of success.
The Richtersveld has high geological diversity, with a variety of rock types and different soils derived from them. This plus varying elevations and slope exposures, all influenced by the moderating effects of the nearby southern Atlantic Ocean, is reflected in surprisingly high biodiversity for such a hyperarid area. Aloe ramosissima is one of the most intriguing species to call this unique region home.
Growing in both the Richtersveld region as well as areas farther north and south from there, the famous quiver tree (Aloe dichotoma/Aloidendron dichotoma) grows alongside the maiden’s quiver tree (A. ramosissima) in some places. Unlike the latter, however, Aloe dichotoma is much more widely distributed and overall more common.
Aloe dichotoma is an impressive tree aloe that deserves its own post at some point. For now, however, I will include just a few photos of it here to illustrate the beauty and diversity of Richtersveld regional aloes.
Aloe ramosissima and Aloe dichotoma are quite closely related. The yellow flowers are nearly identical and some taxonomists have treated A. ramosissima as a subspecies of A. dichotoma based upon the lack of floral divergence and similarity of branching in the crown structure and leaves. However most aloe taxonomists consider them to be distinct enough from one-another based upon trunk development alone, as well as certain other leaf differences, to merit calling them separate species. But obviously that doesn’t mean they aren’t close cousins!

The distribution of Aloe dichotoma stretches much farther south than the narrow range of A. ramosissima does, and includes much of the South African region called Namaqualand. Characterized by abundant amounts of granitic substrate, Namaqualand has developed into an eroded landscape of jumbled boulders, low hills, and wide flats comprised of coarse sand. Just as diverse as the Richtersveld, Namaqualand has many endemic species of its own. The range of Aloe dichotoma also continues significantly farther north into Namibia as well.

One more highly charismatic species to be found in the Richtersveld region is the giant quiver tree, Aloe pillansii/Aloidendron pillansii. This plant is the rarest of all the arborescent tree aloes, and the entire wild population surely numbers well under 5000 at most. Mostly found in small groups of just a few single to a few dozen individual trees on a given hillside or desert mountain slope, Aloe pillansii is yet another narrowly endemic Richtersveld plant found only in a few hundred square kilometers of South Africa and Namibia flanking the banks of the Orange River Valley.
Comparing Aloe pillansii to its most obvious relative, A. dichotoma, one can see that the giant quiver tree has many fewer branches, thicker and bluer leaves, and a massive trunk in comparison to the restricted crown foliage.
Out of the three tree aloe species discussed here, the only one we found in bloom back in September 2009 was Aloe pillansii. As with the other two species, flowers are yellow, but differences in the way the plants carry their floral racemes help distinguish between them, especially when combined with the other traits of leaf and trunk morphology.
A zoomed-in macro view of the flowers of Aloe pillansii shows both last year’s dry, dead flower stalks and those of the current year. All three Richtersveld tree aloes possess close similarities in overall floral structure and appearance, although the racemes of A. pillansii tend to droop down beneath the leaf rosettes, while those of A. dichotoma and A. ramosissima are both held more upright.
This stand of Aloe pillansii trees was growing upon very rocky hills. I was fascinated by their ability to somehow force aside blocks of limestone and insistently carve out a space for their roots. Even then, sometimes the trunk was forced to expand out over the top of one of the blocks, resembling something such as a lava flow or a candle dripping molten wax down over its base holder.
Ever since I first learned about Aloe pillansii, I have wanted to go see it in habitat. Their sheer rarity and strong identification with the Richtersveld region in what is likely the oldest and most stable desert habitat on earth makes them compelling subjects to observe. Unfortunately these plants are so rare and under so much pressure from factors such as climate change, heavy grazing by livestock, mining (especially for diamonds), and illegal poaching of the very few seedlings that do manage to germinate that they might become extinct in the wild without significant intervention by humans. The same humans who are causing all of the factors that are contributing to their decline. It’s the least we can do to help these marvels of desert adaptation survive into the future!
Earlier, I promised to revisit Aloe gariepensis, which grows alongside all of the other Aloe/Aloidendron species thus far discussed. As with both A. ramosissima and A. pillansii, A. gariepensis is a Richtersveld endemic found only in a relatively narrow natural range on those two banks of the Orange River Valley. Unlike those other tree aloes, however, A. gariepensis is much more common and has a fairly high and evidently stable population, and is therefore not currently considered to be endangered.
The Orange River was once called the Gariep River, which is why Aloe gariepensis is named what it is. The suffix -ensis means “originating from” in Latin, so whenever you see something with the -ensis attached to the end of a specific name, it is an indicator of where the plant was first discovered and described by science. Seen in the background of this image with Namibia on the opposite bank, this is one of Southern Africa’s longest and most important rivers, flowing as it does for 1511 miles (2342 km) from the Drakensberg westwards into the Atlantic Ocean. A number of different plant species have been named after the Gariep River name, which is derived from the Khoekhoe language, simply meaning “great river”.
Aloe gariepensis is noted for the reddish to orange shades of its foliage, which is most pronounced when the plants are stressed by cold, heat, or drought. Under more benevolent conditions, the leaves are a more typical shade of green, peppered with white spots and streaks. The red pigments are generated by the plants to help guard against intense solar radiation present in the desert regions where they grow. Without such pigments to absorb UV light, cellular damage can occur that compromises their survival. When rainfall has occurred, more chlorophyll is synthesized and that masks the appearance of the carotenoids that tint the plants red and orange, although they are still present in the leaves regardless.
A close-up view of the leaves of Aloe gariepensis reveals a complex pattern of stripes and dashes scattered across zones of red pigmentation and adjacent zones with nearly no pigmentation which appear almost white.
Aloe gariepensis flowers in the winter months, usually between July and September in South Africa. Flowers are usually yellow to pale orange, and develop into seed pods by late September, which is when I took these photos in 2009.
As with most aloes of the Richtersveld, Aloe gariepensis prefers rocky substrates where the seedlings have a better chance of surviving their most vulnerable post-germination years while they are still tiny. The rocks provide protective cover against the elements and roving animals and help retain the sparse rainfall amongst the roots. Adult plants are quite bitter with herbivore-deterring chemical compounds, and are highly drought-resistant.
The characteristic colorful foliage of Aloe gariepensis is not always retained in the softer, milder conditions of captivity. Unless plants are grown in a fairly hot and dry situation, they will most likely revert to green. This is still attractive and these medium-sized, rosette-forming plants are worth growing in gardens. But there is much to be said for seeing them in the wilderness of the Namib and Karoo Desert regions they evolved in, overlooking the expansive dry landscape that conceals so much biological wonder.
One more fascinating small aloe of the Richtersveld and Namaqualand is Aloe claviflora. It too is more widespread than some of the others in this album, and it is not considered to be rare. One of the most common names is kraal aloe, referring to the Afrikaans language word for corral, as in the thing used to pen livestock.
The name of Aloe claviflora means “club-flower” in Latin, and refers to the shape of the unopened buds. They are widest at the distal end and narrowest at the pedicel base – hence shaped like a club! 😉
The flower spikes of Aloe claviflora are always swept to the side and hang nearly parallel to the ground, and are not erect like the spikes of so many other aloe species. Foliage is compact and grayish-green, caused by a pale waxy layer on the leaf surface that reflects summer heat away from the leaves and prevents overheating.
Seed pods on Aloe claviflora are typical of the aloe family, which means they open into three-part capsules that dry out, split, and then release small winged seeds to be dispersed on the wind.
Not more than a foot/30 cm tall, Aloe claviflora is an attractive subject for dry and hot desert gardens where aloes from milder climates might fail to thrive. With age, the plants can divide themselves and spread outwards to form rings, somewhat like ripples spreading slowly outwards across the surface of a still pond. This circular growth habit is what led to the name kraal aloe. In Afrikaans, a kraal is a corral, used to keep livestock inside a protective enclosure at night. The fancied resemblance of the kraal aloe to a real larger kraal is what led to this common name.
The final aloe in this album is Aloe striata ssp karasbergensis. This is a subspecies of Aloe striata, the coral aloe, which is common in zones farther east. The Karasberg coral aloe is larger, has longer leaves, a more reddish tint, and grows farther west in a more arid climate than the typical coral aloe does. As one might deduce, the subspecies was described from the Karasberg Mountains of southern Namibia, although its range extends through the Richtersveld and southwards into Namaqualand.
The species name of Aloe striata ssp karasbergensis refers to the striated (striped) leaves, which is quite diagnostic of the species in most cases. When combined with the appealing reddish-pink tint that is designed to help protect the leaves against sunburn, and the large size of the rosettes, you have yet one more strikingly beautiful plant found adapted to the rigorous climate of the southwestern African continent.
Evidently it is aloe week here at the Cactus Ranch Channel. In posting my album on aloes of the South African Richtersveld a couple of days ago, the question was raised whether the trunks of quiver trees (Aloe dichotoma/Aloidendron dichotomum) were ever used as a construction material. The answer to this is usually not, but not never. Which could perhaps be more artfully phrased as “rarely”.

The spongy, fibrous trunks of tree aloes are not wood in anything resembling the traditional sense of the word, which means that they are a poor source of construction beams requiring any sort of significant load bearing capacity. On the other hand, however, there is a definite paucity of large woody plants of any other type in the desert regions of the Karoo and Namib Deserts of southwestern Africa. This sometimes leads to improvisation for lack of other options.

Thus I present one such example here of a small building that did, in fact, utilize quiver tree aloe wood as a construction material. Located in Namaqualand in the Northern Cape Province, this structure appears to use tree aloe “wood” in both the walls and the roof. The trunks of these trees are squat and irregularly-shaped, but they do appear to have been cut into fat “boards” of some sort. The inevitable gaps were filled with some sort of mortar, perhaps mud adobe, or maybe earth mixed with a proportion of cement.

I cannot quite tell what the outermost roof covering is made of either, but the beams that support it are clearly made of Aloe dichotoma wood. Fasteners for the roof beams, wall panels, and corner post trunks seem to be made of smaller sticks and pegs made out of actual woody trees, perhaps acacias or some such species.
I wonder who dwells here? This small outbuilding was part of a larger farm complex whose buildings were made of more commonly seen materials, including brick, cement, and lumber. Perhaps it was used as a storage shed, perhaps as sleeping quarters for one of the shepherds, who knows?

While the use of tree aloe trunks as a construction material is clearly uncommon, it is not impossible in occasional limited circumstances. In a hard land, you sometimes need to use what’s available to you.


I hope that everyone found this album of Richtersveld region aloes to be useful, informative, and engaging. Thanks for reading.

10 thoughts on “Aloe Ramosissima and Other Richtersveld Aloes in South Africa”

  1. It is indeed ‘useful, informative, and engaging’ and more: Following your blog is always a joy. When I finish reading yours, it feels like I have been through a serene dream.

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  2. I hope Gerhard Bock sees this post! I believe he has some of these Aloes in his garden. I actually have Aloe a couple myself here in Phoenix!

    Reply

    1. He may indeed have them. I hope that both your and my specimens will grow and prosper beautifully Nancy. Thanks!

      Reply

  4. Thank u Jan for sharing ur insights & enlightening us ! Again u bless others w/ artfully delivered science and beauty!

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  5. A wonderful post. It is a joy to see these Aloes photographed so beautifully in their native habitat. Thank you so much for excellent information about how they grow and survive. I have all these growing in my garden (the Aloidendrons are of course much smaller) and now I see I can let karasbergensis live in a much drier location. A. gariepensis will get quite red here in summer and green up a bit in winter.

    Reply

    1. Thank you for your comment, and I am glad that you can successfully grow all these terrific aloes successfully. I can’t easily do all of them, but at least I currently have two of the species covered in the article.

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