Aloe percrassa
Aloe percrassa
Safety & Hazards
The sap of Aloe species contains anthraquinones. These compounds have several beneficial medicinal actions, particularly as a laxative, and many species of Aloe are thus employed in traditional medicine. Whilst safe in small doses and for short periods of time, anthraquinones do have potential problems if used in excess. These include congestion and irritation of the pelvic organs[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. Long term use of anthraquinone laxatives may also play a role in development of colorectal cancer as they have genotoxic potential, and tumorigenic potential[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].
Botanical Description
Aloe percrassa is an evergreen, succulent, perennial plant forming a rosette of leaves that can each be up to 75cm long and 15cm wide at the base. The plant suckers from the base to form small groups. Stemless when young, older plants can develop thick, erect or decumbent stems up to 80cm long[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. , 515 Title Flora of Tropical Africa Vol 1 - 8 Publication Author Var Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher L.Reeve & Co.; Ashford, Kent. Year 1868 - 1917 ISBN Description Very little information on habitat, range and uses, but gives good descriptions of the plants. It can be downloaded from the internet. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for use as a dye. This species has a fairly large range of over 30,000 km², but its population has declined in the past. It has become harder to find in the field and it is likely that the species has been lost from some localities. The main threat to the species is habitat degradation as a result of human activities, and the wild population is likely to continue declining in the future. It is impossible to determine the extent of the population reduction, but the plant is probably close to qualifying as threatened. It is currently classified as 'Near Threatened' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].