Aloe distans (Jewelled aloe)

Jeweled aloe is a native of the west coast of the Southern Cape Province of South Africa, between Danger Point and St. Helen Bay. The species distans, meaning “standing apart,” is believed to be a reference to the tendency of these aloes to occur far from any similar aloes.

Plants: Rosettes are up to 5″ (12 cm) in diameter. This species crawls along the ground, with long trailing stems that can reach 9½′ (3 m).

Leaves: 2″ (6 cm) long and ¾″ (2 cm) wide at base, pale waxy blue-green or grey, fat, triangular, sharp toothed with little soft white teeth. The spines can line the back of the leaves, but rarely on the front. In full sun they take on tinges of purple and pink. The leaves pile up on each other.

Flowers: Flowering stalks up to 2′ (60 cm) high. Flowers are coral-colored, yellow, or scarlet, up to 1½″ (4 cm) in diameter. They appear from March to May.

Habitats: The natural habitat is the West Coast of the Western Cape province in South Africa, occurring from St Helena Bay to Saldanha Bay.

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Liliopsida	Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family
Subclass	Liliidae	Includes lilies, orchids, and many others
Order	Asparagales	A diverse group that includes asparagus
Family	Xanthorrhoeaceae	Aloes, many tropical plants, flax lilies, daylilies, many others
Genus	Aloe	Means “goddess” in ancient Sanskrit, for its reputed use as a beauty aid; some sources suggest that the name comes from Alloeh, meaning “shining bitter substance”
Species	distans	Separated, apart, widely-spaced, in reference to the long, exserted stamens, which are apart from each other

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