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Aloe striaAloe striata (Coral Aloe) – A beautiful rosette forming succulent to about 18 inches tall by 2 feet wide with rosettes of a few flat broad pale gray-green leaves that vary in color depending on the amount of sunlight; in hot full sun the foliage is pinkish and in more shaded spots they are often bluish-green. The leaves have notable dark narrow lines running longitudinally (though more pronounced on the ssp. karasbergensis) and toothless pale reddish nearly transparent leaf margins. In late winter into early spring emerge up to three 2-foot-tall stems that branch and hold clusters of coral-red flowers. This plant is often sold as a solitary plant but will slowly produce new rosettes at the base to form a cluster.
Plant in full sun to light shade in well-drained soil and irrigate little to regularly - though quite tolerant of dry conditions, a plumper plant can be obtained with regular to occasional irrigation so long as soil drains well. Cold hardy to short duration temperatures down to 20 to 25 degrees F. Plant in groups or us as a solitary specimen in the ground or in a large container.
Aloe striata is widely distributed in the dry areas of the Eastern and Western Cape provinces of South Africa, growing from 800 to 7,300 feet in elevation. The name Aloe comes from ancient Greek name aloe that was derived from the Arabian word 'alloch' that was used to describe the plant or its juice that was used as medicine. The specific epithet 'striata' is from the Latin adjective 'striatum' (strio) meaning "grooved" or "striped," in reference to the longitudinal stripes of the leaves.
Be wary of imposters - much of what is sold as Aloe striata in the nursery trade is actually a garden hybrid that has teeth along the leaf margins - for more information on this see our page on Aloe striata hybrid. We have grown Aloe striata since 1982 and our plants are grown from well maintained and isolated stock plants that yield seed of consistently uniform and true type plants of Aloe striata. We in the past also grew the very attractive Aloe striata ssp. karasbergensis and Aloe buhrii is also another species that is similar and sometimes confused with this species.
The information about Aloe striata displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
