CSSA VOL.83, January-February 2011 No.1 Special Issue Duke Benadom Donors Our Sincere Appreciation Aloe marlothii Why it failed as a commercial plant Bruce Hargreaves The Tree Aloes of Southern and Eastern Africa Ernst van Jaarsveld Aloe palmiformis An endemic krantz aloe from Angola Gideon Smith and Estrela Figueiredo Two new Aloe species from Uganda. Aloe butiabana and Aloe wanalensis Thomas Cole and Thomas Forrest The Speckled Aloes (with emphasis on Aloe Microstigma) Brian Kemble Aloe argenticauda and Aloe pachygaster Two Vegetatively similar Aloe Species from the Winter Rainfall Highlands of Southern Namibia Timothy S Harvey & John J Lavranos On the cover Duke Benadom photographed specimens of Aloe spicata (syn. A. sessiliflora) from several angles, including this close-up of a raceme, as it is an unusually-beautiful plant. He and Artie Chavez first encountered this taxon on a steep hillside in Swaziland, just a kilometer or two from the Mozambique border. It is one of the species of Aloe that produces copious quantities of nectar. Visiting pollinators in Southern California include bees, hummingbirds, and even larger birds such as the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos).This is a highly-rewarding plant, both for the beautiful array of flowers, and for the graceful, upturned leaves in a compact rosette.