Rare-plant experts from the University of Pretoria (UP) are spearheading the reintroduction of thousands of critically endangered Magaliesberg aloe (Aloe peglerae) seedlings into the wild.
The project, supported by the Botanical Society of South Africa (BotSoc), is the first major reintroduction effort involving an endemic South African aloe species.
The Magaliesberg aloe is a slow-growing species and is known for its spectacular red flowers.
The aloe only grows on north-facing slopes of the Magaliesberg mountains to the north of Pretoria. A small population also exists around Krugersdorp in Gauteng’s West Rand. It was listed as critically endangered after a survey in 2016 found its overall population numbers to have dropped by an estimated 43% within a decade, particularly because of illegal harvesting.
Richard Hay, curator of the Future Africa Campus gardens and the Future Africa Indigenous and Orphan Crops Collection, said “the Magaliesberg aloe has a very narrow distribution range, as it is particularly well adapted to the very hot, dry conditions experienced on top of the Magaliesberg.
From historical records, we know that this aloe used to grow on the mountain above Mamelodi. None are left at this particular location today. We therefore know that by reintroducing seedlings into the area there is no risk of interfering with the genetics of existing wild populations.”
Since November 2024, more than 1,500 seedlings, all the size of a R5 coin, were planted at intervals along the foothills of the Magaliesberg mountains above Mamelodi.
The area is managed by the Mothong African Heritage Trust, which was founded by traditional health practitioner, Dr Ephraim Cebisa Mabena, to protect the natural vegetation of the mountain and to engage with the wider community about preserving the natural environment.
“The heavy rainfall over the northern parts of South Africa over December did not cause rot or in other ways damage the seedlings that we have already planted out. They all seem healthy,” Hay said.
It will take approximately 10 years before these seedlings will flower for the first time. The replanting process is guided by best practices developed through the research of Arnold Frisby, a PhD candidate in botany at UP and curator of its cycad and indigenous plant nursery.
Frisby said “planting seedlings within their natural distribution range in sheltered spots, for instance next to or under grasses, greatly improves their chances of survival.”
Aloe peglerae is on the Red List of critically endangered species due to, almost exclusively, illegal collecting, rather than the impact of disturbance or development.
Sadly, the aloes seldom fare well as a garden plant, as people tend to overwater them or plant them in areas that are not optimal to their development.