Aloe vanbalenii

[Jankol]

Native to South Africa ( KwaZulu-Natal and southeastern Mpumalanga).
This plant from Kew Gardens, London.

aloe vanballenii

aloe vanballenii.jpg (158.61 KiB) Viewed 2435 times

[Geoff]

Very commonly grown South African species. This plant is a suckering, branching, short-stemmed fairly large species with a rosette diameter of over 3' often and strongly arching, recurved, bendable, fairly 'user-friendly' bright green to red leaves and large, but fairly soft marginal teeth. Flowers are in winter and are on sparsely branched, very upright inflorescences and in tightly packed conical racemes. Flower color from a bright yellow, to a golden-yellow or yellow-orange, and occasionally red flowers (never seen one of these, though). Super easy plant to grow both in a pot and in the ground... likes shade, full sun and does well in clay soils... likes water year round but will get a nice red leaf color if let dry out some, particularly if it's cool out. Hardy to only about 25F briefly, but plant will often grow back from colder events (down to about 22F). Mild leaf damage occurs at about 27F. Flowers are surprisingly cold hardy in this species surviving temps below 25F sometimes (usually aloe flower are 3-5 degrees more sensitive that leaves are).

Aloe vambellenii Irvine.jpg (184.96 KiB) Viewed 2424 times

Aloe vanbellenii colors again.jpg (137.64 KiB) Viewed 2424 times

Aloe vanbellenii color end 08.jpg (99.28 KiB) Viewed 2424 times

Aloe vanbalenii colors 12=11.jpg (150 KiB) Viewed 2424 times

Aloe vanbelenii early flower 1 12-11.jpg (52.46 KiB) Viewed 2424 times

Aloe vanbellenii colors 2-09.jpg (44.56 KiB) Viewed 2424 times

Aloe vambellenii flowering Dec 03.jpg (166.62 KiB) Viewed 2424 times

Aloe vambellenii LA arb.jpg (180.58 KiB) Viewed 2424 times

Aloe vanbalenii colony H blooming Feb.jpg (141.28 KiB) Viewed 2424 times

Aloe vambellenii leaning flowers.jpg (160.58 KiB) Viewed 2424 times

Aloe vambellenii mine flower Feb 04.jpg (137.37 KiB) Viewed 2424 times

Aloe vanbalenii again larb jan.jpg (121.38 KiB) Viewed 2424 times

Aloe vanbalenii colony into sun flowering Jan H.jpg (148.18 KiB) Viewed 2424 times

Aloe vanbellenii Ojai.jpg (149.29 KiB) Viewed 2424 times

Aloe vanbalenii flowers larb.jpg (83.73 KiB) Viewed 2424 times

Aloe vanbalenii orange flowers one more time larb.jpg (83.52 KiB) Viewed 2424 times

Aloe vanbalenii flower gold larb.jpg (118.39 KiB) Viewed 2424 times

Aloe vanbalenii flweors with dead bee larb.jpg (109.22 KiB) Viewed 2424 times

[Stan]

Here's mine from last year or maybe before last..pretty much the same as now. Green in winter and this in summer. I should mention this has two tone flowers.

[Stan]

A bit of it and Aloe 'California'...

[reality_velo]

This plant is pretty much in shade all day and never really receives any direct sunlight.

[Stan]

I should have watered it a bit more this summer..