Aloe brevifolia
Short-leaved aloe
Family AsphodelaceaeAlso called Kleinaalwyn
About
Aloe brevifolia, the short-leaved aloe, is a tiny blue-grey succulent from the Western Cape. Endangered in the wild, it is a popular rockery and pot plant around the world.
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.
- Light
- A reasonably sunny position.
- Water
- Moderate watering; do not keep the soil permanently damp.
- Soil
- Well-drained soil.
- Propagation
- Remove and replant the branching suckers.
- Mature size
- About 10 cm tall, clumping.
- Hardiness
- Needs winter warmth; under glass or as a houseplant in temperate regions.
Field notes
Morphology
Rosettes only about 10 cm tall, with short, plump grey-blue leaves edged in soft white teeth. Side suckers form new rosettes, so plants build into large clumps. A relatively tall spike of bright red flowers appears in November.
Distribution & habitat
Confined to dry clay soils of Rûens Shale Renosterveld in the Cape Floristic Region, often on inaccessible rocky slopes and cliffs near the coast; these are thought to be relics of a wider former range.
Cultivation notes
Grown in pots and rockeries in a sunny spot with well-drained soil. Water moderately and never keep it constantly damp; it comes from a winter-rainfall climate. Needs winter warmth, so is kept under glass or indoors in cold regions. Holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
History & etymology
Brevifolia is Latin for "short-leaf".
Conservation
Assessed as Endangered on SANBI’s Red List: fewer than 2,000 mature plants survive in about 12 fragmented locations, and its habitat type is critically endangered.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- South Africa
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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