General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Tree
Cactus/Succulent
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 9b -3.9 °C (25 °F) to -1.1 °C (30 °F)
Plant Height: 6-12 feet
Plant Spread: 3 feet
Leaves: Evergreen
Fruit: Dehiscent
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Yellow
Bi-Color: Orange/red opening to yellow
Flower Time: Year Round
Suitable Locations: Xeriscapic
Uses: Flowering Tree
Will Naturalize
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Hummingbirds
Resistances: Drought tolerant
Propagation: Seeds: Can handle transplanting
Other info: Sow seeds in sandy soil. Seeds germinate in a few weeks at temperatures between 68 and 75 degrees F. Seedlings need moist but well-drained soil.
Propagation: Other methods: Cuttings: Stem
Offsets
Other: Stems cut below a node root easily. Cut a stem that has gotten leggy, let it dry out for at least a few hours to form a seal on the cut surface. Place the cutting in rooting medium kept moist, but not wet, until roots form.
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger
Needs excellent drainage in pots
Miscellaneous: Tolerates poor soil

Image
Common names
  • African Aloe
  • Uitenhage Aloe
  • Spiny Aloe
  • Aloe

Photo Gallery
Location: Makhanda (Grahamstown), Eastern Cape, South Africa
Date: 2022-04-03
Ikhala (African Aloe, Uitenhage Aloe) by Owen Ruwodo, 2022
Location: Baja California
Date: 2023-02-19
Sister seedlings after a few years in the ground together
Location: Baja California
Date: 2013-10-30
Location: Baja California
Date: 2023-02-19
Location: Baja California
Date: 2020-05-02
Location: Baja California
Date: 2013-08-01
Location: Baja California
Date: 2022-07-24
Location: Baja California
Date: 2022-07-24
Mid summer, zero supplemental water

Photo courtesy of Annie's Annuals and Perennials
Location: San Francisco Botanical Garden.
Date: August
photo by Stan Shebs
Location: San Francisco Botanical Garden.
Date: August
photo by Stan Shebs

Photo courtesy of Annie's Annuals and Perennials

Photo courtesy of Annie's Annuals and Perennials

Photo courtesy of Annie's Annuals and Perennials
Location: Southwest Florida
Date: January 2015
Location: Inside Annies Annuals Nursery - Richmond, CA
Date: 2016-02-13 - Winter
A huge specimen of Aloe africana in bloom
Location: Southwest Florida
Date: September 2012
Location: Botanical Garden Berlin
Date: 2017-01-07
Comments:
  • Posted by Baja_Costero (Baja California - Zone 11b) on Sep 6, 2016 11:04 AM concerning plant:
    Single-stemmed tree aloe to 2-4m tall (typically on the shorter side) with upcurved, usually bicolored (orange/red opening to yellow) flowers at all different times of year. From the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Resembles Aloe ferox but has thinner, narrower and more spreading leaves, usually spaced farther apart along the stem. The diagnostic feature for this aloe is the way the flowers curve upwards around the time they open. This species may be self fertile. Seedlings are very quick to reach landscape size.

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