  Class and Order. Hexandria Monogynia. Generic Character. Cor. erecta, ore patulo, fundo nectarifero. Filam. receptaculo inserta. Specific Character and Synonyms. ALOE plicatilis subacaulis, foliis linguÆformibus lÆvibus distichis, floribus racemosis pendulis cylindricis. Ait. Kew. v. 1. p. 470. ALOE disticha var. e. Linn. Sp. Pl. ed. 3. p. 459. ALOE plicatilis foliis ensiformibus inermis ancipitibus, floribus laxe spicatis, caule fruticoso. Mill. Dict. ed. 6. 4to. ALOE africana arborescens montana non spinosa, folio longissimo plicatili, flore rubro. Comm. Hort. 2. p. 5. t. 3. 457 No457. "The Fan Aloe grows to the height of six or seven feet, with a strong stem, towards the upper part of which are produced two, three, or four heads, composed of long, compressed, pliable leaves, of a sea-green colour, and ending obtusely; these are placed in a double row, lying over each other, with their edges the same way; the flowers are produced in short loose spikes, are of a red colour, and appear at different times of the year." Mill. Dict. LinnÆus originally made this plant a variety of his Aloe disticha, the leaves in their mode of growth are indeed truly distichous, few plants afford a better example of such, but they differ materially from those of the real disticha both in form and colour: Mr. Miller, with great propriety, made a distinct species of it, by the name of plicatilis, or Fan Aloe, which Mr. Aiton has continued; and by the name of Fan Aloe it is very generally known: we may remark, however, that though this term may be justified by the form into which the leaves expand, the folium plicatile of LinnÆus is a very different kind of a leaf. Both the foliage and flowers of this plant are very handsome, in the course of many years it grows to a great size; in the Chelsea Garden there are some fine plants of it, which grew there in the time of Miller, by whom it was cultivated in 1731. It is native of Africa, requires the same treatment as the other Aloes, and is propagated by dividing and planting its heads. |
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