Gasteria acinacifolia
| Gasteria acinacifolia | |
|---|---|
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| Gasteria acinacifolia plants in the wild | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Xanthorrhoeaceae |
| Subfamily: | Asphodeloideae |
| Genus: | Gasteria |
| Species: | G. acinacifolia |
| Binomial name | |
| Gasteria acinacifolia (J.Jacq.) Haw. | |
Gasteria acinacifolia ("Dune Gasteria") is succulent plant native to the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.[1]
Description
It is the tallest of the Gasteria species (even larger than its close relative to the east, Gasteria excelsa), with rosettes of smooth leaves up to 1 meter long. The species name "acinacifolia" means "scimitar-leaves", and refers to how the smooth, sharp, stiff, spotted leaves end in a sharp point.
Adult plants look very different from juveniles. Adults form rosettes of extremely long, smooth, sharp "scimitar-shaped" leaves which are green and extremely densely covered in bands of tiny white spots. The leaves also have rough partial margins.
Juvenile plants have rough, distichous, strap shaped leaves which end in a blunt point.
The multi-branched inflorescence is often over a meter in height, with pink flowers and appears between September and December. Aside from its size, it looks very similar to a much smaller species, Gasteria pulchra.
Distribution
It occurs on shady cliff faces and in dune thickets, along the coast, between Knysna and Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. This is a region of moderate rainfall all year round.
It is often cultivated for coastal gardens or as a container plant.
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