ISI 2019-15. Aloe ballii Reynolds

The Chimanimani Mountains of Zimbabwe are famous for the rich diversity of their succulent flora. Included is this grass aloe, which is better known than many of that type. Unlike other species in that broad category that grow in grassy highlands, Aloe ballii is a relatively low altitude species that sometimes grows among grass on steep slopes but also on cliff faces. This more tropical and xeric habitat seems to preadapt the species to greenhouse culture even as a hanging basket plant. The species is unusual in its racemes of showy orange, cylindric-campanulate flowers resembling those of the unrelated Aloe bellatula from Madagascar. We offer divisions of a plant originally collected by Mr. John Ball himself who discovered the species in Nov, 1962. It is not clear whether this is the type collection, but it originates from the only known locality, the Haroni River Gorge, in the southern end of the Chimanimani Mountains. HBG 100327. $10.