Aloe cryptopoda

Aloe cryptopoda
Aloe cryptopoda photographed at Mount Gorongosa in Mozambique
CITES Appendix II[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asphodelaceae
Subfamily: Asphodeloideae
Genus: Aloe
Species:
A. cryptopoda
Binomial name
Aloe cryptopoda
Synonyms[2]

Aloe cryptopoda is a species of succulent plant in the genus Aloe. It is native to Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Taxonomy and names

Aloe cryptopoda was described by English botanist John Gilbert Baker in 1884 based on a type specimen from Mozambique.[2][3] The specific epithet cryptopoda is derived from the Greek words kryptos, meaning "hidden" or "covered", and podos, meaning "foot", in reference to the large bracts that cover the flower pedicels.[4]

In English, it is commonly known as Dr Kirk's aloe, spire aloe, or yellow aloe, while in Nyanja it is known as chitembwe, citembwe, citupa, lichongwe, or licongwe. It is also known as mdyang'oma in Ngoni, gave wamtchanga in Sena, chikowa in Shona, and chinyangami in Tonga.[4]

Distribution and habitat

Aloe cryptopoda is known from Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, where it grows on inselbergs and rocky slopes with little or no grass cover at altitudes of 60–1,525 m (197–5,003 ft) above sea level.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Aloe cryptopoda Baker". Species+. UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Aloe cryptopoda Baker". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  3. ^ a b Newton, L.E. (2020). "Aloe Asphodelaceae". In Eggli, Urs; Nyffeler, Reto (eds.). Monocotyledons. Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants (Second ed.). Berlin, Germany: Springer Nature. pp. 539–540. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-56486-8. ISBN 978-3-662-56484-4. OCLC 1145609055.
  4. ^ a b Grace, Olwen M.; Klopper, Ronell R.; Figueiredo, Estrela; Smith, Gideon F. (2011). The Aloe Names Book. Strelitzia. Vol. 28. South African National Biodiversity Institute & Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-84246-419-9. OCLC 729841885.
  • Media related to Aloe cryptopoda at Wikimedia Commons
  • Data related to Aloe cryptopoda at Wikispecies