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Aloe purpurea is a tall, branching or single-stemmed aloe from Mauritius, grown mainly as an ornamental and landscape plant. It is endangered in the wild, and the key to growing it is well-drained soil and plenty of sun.
Aloe purpurea (previously Lomatophyllum purpureum/borbonicum/aloiflorum. Locally known as "Mazambron" or "Socotrine du Pays") is a species of Aloe endemic to the island of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean, where it formerly occurred on dry rocky slopes and outcrops, the highland plateaus, and the forests of the west. It is part of a group of aloes which bear fleshy berries, and were therefore classed as a separate group, "Lomatophyllum". It is also one of only two Aloe species which naturally occur on Mauritius - both endemic and occurring nowhere else.
This species is endangered, and occurs naturally only on Mauritius and its surrounding rocky islets. Here it is found in lowland, intermediate and palm-rich forests. Unlike its close relative, Aloe tormentorii, it is found on higher altitudes thus making it less succulent. It was previously widespread across Mauritius, but is now extremely rare and is only found in some areas in the west such as Ebony forest in chamarel, Yemen area and other areas. It is beginning to be propagated as an ornamental and landscaping plant in Mauritius; a locally indigenous alternative to Aloe vera.
Aloe aaata · Aloe aageodonta · Aloe abyssicola · Tent Cent Aloe · Spotted Aloe · African Aloe · White Grass Aloe · Aloe albiflora · Aldabra Aloe · Aloe ambigens · Aloe andongensis · Wylliespoort Aloe
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Aloe purpurea by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
