Known as the African aloe, it is a large species of succulent plant.

Habitat

This attractive species occurs in the Eastern Cape of South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 which is able to adapt to a wide range of conditions. It is mainly confined to hills and flats, growing in thicket and renosterveld vegetation. It often grows in association with Aloe ferox

Aloe ferox

Aloe ferox, also known as Cape Aloe, Bitter Aloe, Red Aloe and Tap Aloe, is a species of aloe indigenous to South Africa's Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, and Lesotho....

, A. pluridens and A. speciosa, and hybrids are not uncommon. The climate is moderate, without frost, and hot and humid during summers. Rainfall occurs throughout the year, from 600 to 700 mm per annum.

Characteristics

Its large raceme is erect and may be branched or unbranched, and has tubular flowers that are usually orange. Flowering time is from winter to early spring (July to September in South Africa). The leaves are arranged in a dense apical rosette and are spreading to recurved, firm linear-lanceolate, with a grey-green surface; each leaf's margins are armed with small, reddish teeth, a feature common in the Aloe

Aloe

Aloe , also Aloë, is a genus containing about 500 species of flowering succulent plants. The most common and well known of these is Aloe vera, or "true aloe"....

genus.

The plant grows slowly and flowers when it is four to five years old.