General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Cactus/Succulent
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Plant Spread: 12-18 inches
Leaves: Glaucous
Evergreen
Fruit: Dehiscent
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Red
Flower Time: Winter
Suitable Locations: Xeriscapic
Uses: Will Naturalize
Wildlife Attractant: Hummingbirds
Resistances: Drought tolerant
Propagation: Seeds: Self fertile
Can handle transplanting
Other info: Sow seeds in sandy soil. Seeds germinate in a few weeks at temperatures between 68 and 75 degrees F. Seedlings need moist but well-drained soil.
Propagation: Other methods: Cuttings: Stem
Offsets
Other: Stems cut below a node root easily. Cut a stem that has gotten leggy, let it dry out for at least a few hours to form a seal on the cut surface. Place the cutting in rooting medium kept moist, but not wet, until roots form.
Containers: Needs excellent drainage in pots
Miscellaneous: With thorns/spines/prickles/teeth

Image
Common names
  • Book Aloe
  • Boekaalwyn
  • umHlabanhlazi
  • Aloe

Photo Gallery
Location: UCSC Arboretum, Santa Cruz, California
Date: 2022-11-22
Location: Baja California
Date: 2012-01-14
Uploaded by mcvansoest
Location: Baja California
Date: 2016-10-23
Location: Baja California
Date: 2011-03-07
Location: San Diego, CA
Date: 2020-02-08
my plant - Best Novice Winter Grower at the 2020 SDCSS winter sho
Location: My Garden in Fort Worth, TX
Date: 2024-05-08
Location: San Diego, CA
Date: 2018-06-03
taken at San Diego summer 2018 cactus and succulent show
Location: San Diego, CA
Date: 2018-06-03
taken at San Diego summer 2018 cactus and succulent show

Photo courtesy of: Rod Waddington
Location: University of California Botanical Garden.
Date: April
photo by Stan Shebs

Date: June
credit: JMK
Comments:
  • Posted by Baja_Costero (Baja California - Zone 11b) on Mar 12, 2019 11:13 PM concerning plant:
    Medium-sized, usually solitary glaucous blue-green aloe with bright pinkish red flowers. Beautiful lilac coloration when stressed. Named for the characteristic distichous leaf arrangement (like a book) of young plants, which is lost at maturity. A dimorphic plant. From Eswatini and South Africa. Inflorescences are unbranched. Some of the plants in cultivation may offset in abundance.

    This species is related to A. pretoriensis, a larger plant with an upright stem and multibranched inflorescences.

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