Floral Characters in the Discrimination of the Nigerian Sp. of Aloe (Linn)

A taxonomic study based on floral features was carried out on four Nigerian species of Aloe, namely A. schweinfurthii, A. macrocarpa var major, A. keayi and A. buettneri. At anthesis, 12 floral characters of each species were investigated using the completely randomized design. The features investigated are number of flowers per reproductive shoot, pedicel length, bract length, tepal length, filament length, style length, anther length, anther width, ovary length, ovary diameter, stigma length and stigma width. Number of flowers per reproductive shoot was counted while the other characters were measured with a ruler graduated in centimeters and millimeters. Means of counts and measurements were determined, subjected to analysis of variance and separated using Duncan s Multiple Range Test. Available information provided sufficient evidence to justify the existing taxonomy of Nigerian Aloe.