The tree aloe is the tallest of the South African aloes and can reach 15 to 18m. It is found in a broad coastal band; that is slightly inland, from East London in the Eastern Cape through KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland and Mpumalanga into southern and central Mozambique.
It is a striking sculptural plant that grows quickly and forms a neat, rounded crown of dark green leaves that can be over a meter long and are armed with small white teeth. It forms a stout trunk that can eventually grow over 2,5m in diameter and usually has a broad 'foot' at ground level.
Photo by: Marina Malikova.