Stone

Stone

Sea Pebble

Date Undated Origin Jeffreys Bay Size 30mm x 48mm x 11mm Acquired Between 2006-2016 From Jeffreys Bay Beach Price Free

Aloe

“Aloe. A large genus of succulents of the Lily Family (q.v.), containing stemless plants, bushes and trees. Nearly half the 300 species occur in Southern Africa, notably the Transvaal. While most are drought-resistant the stark and nearly leafless Aloe pillansii grows where rain falls only every two or three years—A. haementhifolia grows in the wettest Cape mountains and A. poly-phylla in snowclad Lesotho. In Zululand is found in the smallest-known A. saundersiae, with grass-like leaves a few inches long. A. cillaris is a climber among bushes and trees. Among the best-known species are the showy A. striata of the Eastern Cape, with its broad, unbarbed leaves; the frequently cultivated A. arborescem, the leaves of which have healing properties for burns; and the tall Cape A. ferox from which is prepared the drug, Cape Aloes.

In 1685 the Simon van der Stel expedition to Namaqualand found the 15-foot, yellow-flowered Kokerboom or Quivertree (A. dichotoma) and noted that its branches were used by Bushmen for carrying poisoned arrows. The largest, A. bainessi, is a 50-foot tree with orange flowers growing in the forests from East London district northwards. (The Aloes of South Africa by A. W. Reynolds should be further consulted)” (Rosenthal 1967:15-16).