Aloe rauhii is a rare succulent endangered draught-resistant plant endemic to Madagascar

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

. It is named after Professor Werner Rauh

Werner Rauh

Werner Rauh was an internationally renowned German botanist and author.-Biography:Born in the town of Niemegk in Brandenburg, Rauh studied at the University of Halle under the famous morphologist Wilhelm Troll and received his doctorate in 1937 before coming to the University of Heidelberg two...

, who was a professor of Botany at the University of Heidelberg in Germany.

Description

Aloe rauhii are less than 6 inches (15cm) high. Leaf rosettes are approximately 5 inches (12 cm) in diameter. The leaves have characteristic heavily white oval spots with tiny white marginal teeth, the overall appearance of which may resemble snowflake

Snowflake

Snowflakes are conglomerations of frozen ice crystals which fall through the Earth's atmosphere. They begin as snow crystals which develop when microscopic supercooled cloud droplets freeze. Snowflakes come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Complex shapes emerge as the flake moves through...

s. Plant propagates via clumping. In full sunlight, the green and white leaves become a purplish orange color.

Conservation status

Madagascar is recognized as one of the most ecologically rich countries in the world, and over 80% of its flora is endemic. However, the diverse plant life is under threat and some species are on the verge of extinction. The flora of Madagascar is unique due to the island’s separation from the African continent over 160 million years ago, a possible explanation for A. rauhii being an endemic species.