Aloe arborescens
Krantz aloe
Family AsphodelaceaeAlso called Candelabra aloe
About
Aloe arborescens, the krantz or candelabra aloe, is a large, many-headed succulent from south-eastern Africa, grown for its red-orange winter flowers that draw birds, bees and butterflies.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- Not recorded.
- Temperature
- Minimum about 10 °C (50 °F); grow under glass where winters are colder.
- Propagation
- Easily propagated from cuttings.
- Mature size
- Typically 2–3 m tall, sprawling and multi-headed.
Field notes
Morphology
A sprawling, multi-branched plant usually 2–3 m tall. Blue-tinged green leaves with small marginal teeth sit in rosettes at the branch tips. Unbranched racemes, often several per rosette, carry cylindrical red-orange flowers.
Distribution & habitat
South-eastern southern Africa: South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, mostly on mountains, rocky outcrops and exposed ridges. It has one of the widest ranges in the genus.
Ecology
Nectar-rich winter flowers are visited by birds, bees and butterflies.
Cultivation notes
Popular in warm gardens for its foliage and winter bloom; needs a minimum of about 10 °C, so is grown under glass in cooler regions. Roots easily from cuttings. The cultivar ‘Variegata’ holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
History & etymology
The epithet arborescens means "tree-like". In southern Africa it was traditionally planted around stock enclosures as a living fence, and old kraal sites can still be traced by surviving aloes.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe
- IUCN status
- Least concern
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
- Temperature
- Minimum about 10 °C (50 °F); grow under glass where winters are colder.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Crossed A. arborescens with another species?Register the cross. If it's not documented yet you'll be the first contributor; if someone already registered it, you'll be taken there to add your photo.