National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (Act No. 10 of 2004)

Aloe ferox grows under a wide range of climatic conditions in a broad range of habitats, such as fynbos, grassland, Karoo vegetation and valley bushveld, typically on rocky hill slopes or across flat open areas (Newton and Vaughan, 1996; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 2013; DEA, 2014). It is generally more abundant on arid, rocky hillsides up to 1000 m a.s.l. (Anjarwalla et al., 2013). The plants are able to grow in a variety of soil types, including sandy, loamy sands and silty barns that are moderately fertile and well drained. The species flourishes in extremely dry areas of the Karoo but also in moister areas in the eastern parts of its distribution (Van Wyk and Smith, 1996). The shallow, adventitious root systems that grow only a few centimeters below the soil surface, as well as the ability to store considerably large amounts of water in the leaves and roots (Holland et al., 1977) allow these plants to benefit from relatively low amounts of precipitation (DAFF, 2015).

The species is able to establish healthy populations within disturbed areas quite well. Field observations at a cultivated site in Albertinia established in 2011 suggested substantial recruitment of young plants where livestock had been excluded. Furthermore, observations suggest that A. ferox are pioneer plants, and that these plants are the first to emerge when livestock are removed from heavily overgrazed land. Raimondo et al. (2012) also suggested that A. ferox has a weed like ecology and is a pioneer plant due to its ability to thrive in degraded areas.