Aloe squarrosa

Aloe squarrosa is a succulent flowering plant of the family Asphodelaceae that grows only on the island of Socotra, which belongs to Yemen. It carries smooth, green, spotted leaves that curve backwards, and these recurved leaves are held only around the head of each stem, while the dead leaves fall away from the lower stem. The flower cluster is short and simple, and the flowers are light orange with green tips. The plant is relatively rare in cultivation. Growers sometimes confuse it with Aloe juvenna from Kenya, which has shorter, straight, triangular leaves kept all along its long stems. On Socotra it grows on limestone cliff faces and rocky ground, where it shares the island with other native aloes such as Aloe perryi and Aloe jawiyon. It is threatened by habitat destruction, and goat herding damages the plants.