Aloe dabenorisana was named by the author in the Journal of South African Botany in 1982 (Van Jaarsveld 1982). It was named after the Dabenoris Mountain (Bushmanland, Northern Cape) where the plants were discovered by Mr Anthony R. Mitchell, a British citizen presently residing on the Isle of Man. He is an intrepid explorer who explored Namaqualand and the southern Namib on his bicycle, primarily for his main interest, a small, cluster-forming button in the genus Conophytum, which he brought to the author’s attention, who, upon investigating the Dabenorisberg, found and described this species. He is also commemorated in Portulacaria armiana, Conophytum armianum and Othonna armiana, from his initials and plant collector’s acronym, ARM.

The name Dabenoris is of Khoekhoen origin and, according to Nienaber & Raper (1983), means ‘narrow gorge where the tamarisk trees grow’. Tamarisk usneoides is indeed very common in dry river beds in the Dabenorisberg.

Aloe dabenorisana belongs to a group of 7 aloes belonging to Prolongatae series Mitriformis (Reynolds 1950) of which A. mitriformis (Aloe perfoliata), is the most widespread and well known. These aloes are mostly confined to regions with winter rainfall, characterised by their usually elongating stems, persistent leaves and pointed, often branched, racemes in dense heads and with striking orange-red, tubular flowers when in full flower. Aloe mitriformis grows along the Cape Folded Mountains and as far north as the southern parts of the Northern Cape. Aloe distans is confined to the coast at Saldanha and Aloe comptonii is confined to the Klein Karoo. Aloe pearsonii is an erect shrub confined to the mountains of the Richtersveld and the adjacent Hunsberge in Namibia, just north of the Orange River. Aloe meyeri, is confined to the quartzitic sandstone Rosyntjiesberg Mountain (Richtersveld National Park and adjacent extension of the Rosyntjiesberg in Namibia) and Aloe pavelkae is confined to sandstones of the Hunsberge (southern Namibia). Of this group of aloes 3 of the 6 grow only on sheer cliffs, A. meyeri and A. pavelkae with long pendent stems are typical cliff hangers. Aloe mitriformis also grows on cliffs but is not confined to cliffs and also becomes pendent. Aloe comptonii has shorter stems but with a decumbent growth. Of these species Aloe dabenorisana is immediately separated by its drooping apical rosettes of recurved leaves with a smooth green surface. Aloe pearsonii, however, has erect long leafy stems up to 700 mm long also of which the leaves recurve but are much shorter. Aloe dabenorisana differs from A. pavelkae in its much shorter stems and leaves that are distinctly recurved.

Figure 5. Aloe dabenorisana cluster growing on a south-facing cliff of Dabenorisberg.