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''Aloe'' ser. ''Macrifoliae'' (the "Climbing Aloes") is a taxonomic series within the genus ''Aloe'', comprising seven closely related species of Southern African climbing aloe. These aloes are typically multi-branched climbing or sprawling shrubs, with long spindly stems and a large woody base on the ground. These characteristics, as well as their soft, narrow, triangular leaves whose lower part ensheathes the stem, make these Aloes easy to distinguish. This group of aloes is centered in the Eastern Cape, South Africa where they are also particularly common. A few rare species also occur in isolated pockets further west in the fynbos vegetation of the Western Cape. ==Taxa== The most common species in this group is probably ''Aloe ciliaris'' which is relatively widespread in South Africa. It seems to have developed from the smaller, rarer, finely leaved ''Aloe tidmarshi'' (now re-classified as a subspecies, ''Aloe ciliaris tidmarshi'') and to have spread out across the country relatively recently. Its relatives, moving westwards along the South African coast, are: ''Aloe tenuior'' of Kwazulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, ''Aloe striatula'' of the higher mountain ranges bordering the Karoo, and ''Aloe gracilis'' of the area around Port Elizabeth (where the Eastern Cape thickets fade into the Western Cape fynbos vegetation). Further west, the Fynbos vegetation of the neighbouring Western Cape is subject to frequent fires, making it relatively inhospitable for Aloes. Nevertheless, several rare relict ''Macrifoliae'' Aloe species survive in tiny isolated pockets within the Fynbos biome, such as ''Aloe decumbens'', ''Aloe juddii'' and ''Aloe commixta''.〔Court D: ''Succulent Flora of Southern Africa''. Cape Town: Struik Nature. 2010. ISBN 978-1-77007-587-0〕 The unusual and endangered Pearson's Aloe (''Aloe pearsonii'') of Namibia is considered by many botanists to be an outlying member of this series. However more recent chemical analysis indicates that it is actually closer to the "Creeping Aloes" (''Mitriformes''), but is most likely a "missing-link" intermediate between the two groups.〔http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/aloepearson.htm〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Aloe ser. Macrifoliae」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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