About Astroloba spirella (Haw.) Molteno & Gideon F.Sm.
Astroloba spirella (Haw.) Molteno & Gideon F.Sm. is superficially very similar in appearance to Astroloba spiralis, sharing the same sharp, spirally arranged leaves. However, the perianth of A. spiralis is both inflated and strongly transversely rugose. A. spirella is a smaller plant, and its leaves sometimes bear longitudinal striped streaks near the tips. It can be distinguished from its northern relative, Astroloba pentagona, by its sharply pointed leaves that have properly marginate apices, and by the absence of tubercles or striation. The leaves of A. spirella turn reddish-brown when grown in sun. Its flowers appear from January to April, at the end of the dry summer. This species grows on rocky shale ridges in the Little Karoo. Its range extends between Montagu in the west, and Barrydale and Ladismith in the east, where it gradually becomes Astroloba spiralis. In the north, it occurs just south of Laingsburg, where it grades into Astroloba pentagona.
