Aloe perfoliata
Rubble aloe
Family AsphodelaceaeAlso called Mitre aloe, Puin aalwyn
About
Aloe perfoliata, the rubble or mitre aloe, is a tough creeping aloe of rocky mountain country in the Western Cape, South Africa.
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
- Full sun for best flowering.
- Propagation
- Stem cuttings, dried for a day or two, then planted in sand.
- Hardiness
- Survives very hot summers and winter snow.
Field notes
Morphology
Prostrate branching stems up to 2 m sprawl over ground and rocks, with the leafy tip turned upward. Leaf margins have small harmless white teeth. Sun-grown plants have tight bluish rosettes, shaded ones looser green leaves; drought turns them red and makes leaves curl inward like a mitre.
Distribution & habitat
Western Cape and nearby parts of the Northern and Eastern Cape, in rocky fynbos spilling into Karoo and thicket, among rubble and outcrops on clay or sandy soil.
Cultivation notes
Very tough; suits embankments, rocky slopes and walls and survives hot summers and winter snow. Unlike most aloes it flowers in summer, best in full sun. Stem cuttings rooted in sand after drying a day or two take easily.
History & etymology
Formerly known as Aloe mitriformis. Its variability led to several forms once being treated as separate species.
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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