Plants matching the concept for Aloe monteiroae Baker, for long considered as an imperfectly known species, have been discovered at Komatipoort, about 50km west of the type locality. Observations in situ and in subsequent cultivation reveal a remarkable plasticity of leaf and inflorescence form, including the production of short, simple racemes. We conclude that the holotype of A. monteiroae, prepared from a plant cultivated at Kew but originating at Delagoa Bay (Maputo Bay), Mozambique, most likely represents a depauperate form of the highly variable Aloe parvibracteata Schönland. The widely used substantive epithet ‘monteiroi’ is amended to ‘monteiroae’ to correct an orthographic error. The name Aloe monteiroae Baker predates the name Aloe parvibracteata and should therefore be adopted for the species. However, for the sake of nomenclatural stability, a conservation proposal has been submitted to Taxon to prevent the familiar name Aloe parvibracteata from being replaced by the relatively obscure name Aloe monteiroae.
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1 October 2015
Winter-flowering maculate aloes from the Lowveld of southeastern Africa: Notes on Aloe monteiroae Baker (Asphodelaceae: Alooideae), the earliest name for Aloe parvibracteata Schönland
Neil R. Crouch,
Gideon F. Smith,
Ronell R. Klopper,
Estrela Figueiredo,
Douglas McMurtry,
Shane Burns
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Bradleya
Vol. 2015 • No. 33
October 2015
Vol. 2015 • No. 33
October 2015