Botanical name

Aloe pictifolia

Other names

Kouga aloe

Family

Asphodelaceae

Dimensions

A dwarf aloe with up to seven small rosettes from one stem; about 35 cm in height including the inflorescence

Description of stem

Curved, creeping or hanging, depending of the position among the rocks or cliff

Description of leaves

Variable but grey-green in well-watered conditions, pink in dry conditions or in harsh sun; the densely spotted leaves on both surfaces are long (up to 15 cm) and narrow (2,5 cm at the base), but thick (front to back); small reddish teeth occur on the edges only; the leaves recurve, but often in varying ways on the same rosette, with some curving inward and a few sideways; the leaf tip is sharp

Description of flowers

Single raceme with erect flowers, conical, dull-red perianths only about 1,5 cm in length; flowering in winter to spring, sometimes out of season; pollinated by sunbirds

Desciption of seed/fruit

Capsules 1,5 cm in length, seeds angular and dark

Description of roots

Variation

Propagation and cultivation

Easy to grow from seeds or offsets, suitable as a container plant

Tolerances

Copes with cold, possibly with some drought

Uses

Currently gaining as a garden plant

Ecological rarity

Not threatened, but the natural habitat is not large

Pests and diseases

Other

Pictifolia means 'painted leaves'

Location

Rocky, quartzite cliffs and outcrops of the Kouga mountains

Distribution (SA provinces)

Eastern Cape

Country

South Africa