Aloe perryi

Aloe perryi
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Xanthorrhoeaceae
Subfamily:	Asphodeloideae
Genus:	Aloe
Species:	A. perryi
Binomial name
Aloe perryi Baker
Synonyms
Aloe forbesii Balf.f. ; Aloe socotrina

Aloe perryi (syn. Aloe forbesii Balf.f.; Aloe socotrina) is a species of plant in the genus Aloe. It is endemic to Socotra in Yemen, and is often known by its common name, Socotrine aloe.^[1] Its natural habitat is rocky areas. Widely distributed and in places abundant. Bitter aloes – the juice of Aloe perryi – has important pharmaceutical and medicinal properties. At present, it is under no immediate threat but some populations are potentially vulnerable to pests, climate change and over-harvesting.

Description

Perennials; stems 1.5 M. (5°) high, woody, rough from leaf-remnants; leaves glaucous-green, often with darker spots, thick, succulent, bayonet-shaped, margin with reddish spines or serratures; flowers racemose or spicate, tubular, yellowish, orange-red; stamens 6, unequal, 3 longer than corolla. Inspissated juice (aloes - A. Perryi): Socotrine, blackish-brown, opaque, or smooth glistening masses, fracture conchoidal, sometimes soft; odor aromatic, saffron-like, never fetid, putrid; taste nauseous, bitter; 50 p. c. soluble in cold water.^[2]

References

1. Western Arabia and the Red Sea, Naval Intelligence Division, London 2005, p. 208 ISBN 0-7103-1034-X ; John Hill, A History of the Materia Medica, London 1751, p. 772
2. David M. R. Culbreth, A Manual of Materia Medica and Pharmacology, Philadelphia 1927 (reprint 1996), p. 112

• Miller, A. 2004. Aloe perryi. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded 20 August 2007.