Aloe asperifolia – Desert Aloe, Sandpaper Aloe – 5 Seed Pack
R35,00
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20 in stock
Aloes are very popular and some of the most rewarding plants to cultivate. They make excellent accent plants owing to their often strange and inspiring architectures, as well as the bright flowers that offset the grey-green leaves. They are also very suitable as container plants and small aloes can be used very effectively as border plants at the edge of a bed. Although aloes are most often included in rockeries, their application in horticulture is not limited to this feature and they can be used in almost any setting and in conjunction with most common garden plants. Their natural adaptation to harsh and often arid climates makes aloes outstanding subjects for the water-wise garden. Aloe is a genus in the Asphodeloideae family containing about 600 species of flowering succulent plants. Aloes are sometimes confused with Agaves. Contrarily to Agaves, Aloe leaves contain a gel like sap. Another difference is that Aloes don’t die after blooming as most Agaves do.
Aloe asperifolia, sometimes referred to as Desert Aloe or Sandpaper Aloe, is native to Namibia and is one of the northern Namib’s few leaf-succulents. It grows in a circular pattern, reaching some 30cm in height. It bears greyish leaves that have brown teeth scattered along the leaf margins. The desert aloe which needs very little water, just a misting over once in a while, has leaves that are rough to the touch. It has characteristic horizontally arranged flower-heads with magnificent red flowers. The leaves are traditionally used to induce abortion. This Aloe is abundant in position, but has a limited distribution, restricted to the central and northern Namib and grows mainly on gravel plains.