Aloe ferox short and tall

Aloe ferox has a wide distribution from the Western Cape to KwaZulu-Natal and the southern Free State.

In the southern and eastern parts of the Great Karoo they may be slightly challenged by receiving less rain. Still, good stands of tall, healthy plants are found here on rocky slopes and flat open areas among the karoobossies (little Karoo bushes), the main sheep diet of the region.

These A. ferox plants appear no worse for wear than their counterparts in the coastal, high rainfall region. The photo was taken in the southern Great Karoo near Klaarstroom (Van Wyk and Smith, 2003).