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Aloes (Aloaceae) of Madagascar Identification Guide

Kew botanist Solofo Rakotoarisoa studies a specimen of Aloe capitata. Photo S.Cable

The genus Aloe in Madagascar is represented by over 100 taxa. The last treatment was by G.W. Reynolds for the Flore de Madagascar in 1958. Since then new species have been published, but the literature is not available in Madagascar and herbarium material is sparse. Over the last 50 years human pressure has had a dramatic impact on the flora of Madagascar with large reductions in the distribution of many species. Most species found in Madagascar are endemic and are vulnerable to vegetation clearance and illegal collecting. Many species are known from just a few sites and are critically endangered.

This project is producing an identification guide based on field characters and photographs. It will follow the format of A Field Guide to the Rattans of Lao PDR by Tom Evans et al. (RBG Kew, 2001) and will be published locally in English and Malagasy. The need for the guide was identified by the MSBP as Aloe is one of the priority target groups in Madagascar and finding and identifying species in the field has proved difficult.

Other new field guides for Madagascar cover orchids (due 2008) and palms (published 2006), and are based on comprehensive taxonomic treatments by Kew-based specialists. These guides represent the start of a new field guide series, with the Field Guide to the Aloes of Madagascar the first to be produced by our team in Madagascar, who will cover difficult groups to complement our conservation efforts.

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