Aloe macrosiphon - 5 Seed Pack - Exotic Succulent from Tanzania - Worldwide Shipping, NEW

Aloe macrosiphon is an attractive speckled stemless aloe from Tanzania and neighbouring African countries. It is a suckering aloe that forms dense groups of erect compact rosettes of thin, plastic-like lime green to dark green leaves with spots, which show a bit of red when the plants are under stress of cold and drought. The flowers of Aloe macrosiphon is dusky dull red to bright red with some strains showing yellow at the flower tips. The inflorescence is multibranched and not complex. Aloe macrosiphon is rare in the wild and in cultivation. It will grow well in pots and rockeries. Aloe macrosiphon prefers full sun to partial shade. Plants grown in full sun will flower more profusely whereas plants grown in partial shade will be more proliferous in growing leaves and forming pups, also known as off-sets.

Their natural adaptation to harsh and often arid climates makes aloes outstanding subjects for the water-wise garden. Aloes can tolerate long periods of drought, but it is not true that watering should be withheld to obtain optimal growth. Stressed plants are more susceptible to insects and pests. Plants flourish, flower better and are more resistant when given adequate water during the growing season. However, be very cautious not to overwater aloes because they may rot if they stay wet for too long. Adequate drainage is essential. Plant smaller aloes in raised beds and only water them when the top 5cm of soil has dried. Even though there are some species that are challenging to grow, most of the aloes are easy and can readily be grown just about any place in the country. Aloes generally need soils with good drainage and do best in warm climates. When planted in rich soil that are frequently mulched they will do well for many years without interference making them very low-maintenance plants once established. Aloe is a genus in the Asphodeloideae family containing about 600 species of flowering succulent plants. The most common and well known of these is Aloe vera. The genus is mostly native to Africa with about 125 being indigenous to South Africa. About 405 species can be found in Africa while about 45 species are found in the Arabian Peninsula. Socotra has 4 natural species and the Mascarene and other Western Indian Ocean Islands share about 7 species. Madagascar, for its size, has a pretty extensive collection of about 145 species.
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.
For an extensive list of documented Aloe species please see this Wikipedia page.