Aloe
Plicatilis, Fan Aloe
-COMMON_NAMES- Fan Aloe
-GENUS- Aloe
-SPECIES- Aloe plicatilis
-CLASS- Hexandria
-ORDER- Monogynia
-AUTHORITY- Aiton
-MODERN_GENUS- Aloe
-MODERN_SPECIES- Aloe plicatilis
-MODERN_FAMILY- Liliaceae
-PLANT_TYPE- shrub or tree
-COLOR- scarlet
-SEASON- winter
-NATIVE_REGION- S Africa
-ZONE- 9
Class and order: Hexandria Monogynia
Description: 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 color, and ending obtusely; these are placed in a double row, lying over each other, withh their edges the same way; the flowers are produced in short loose spikes, are of a red color, and appear at different times of the year.
Linnaes originally made this plant a variety of this Aloe Disticha, the leaves in their mode of growth are indeed truly distichous, few plants afford a better example of such, but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 disticham both in form and color: 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.