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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Aloeaceae (now Asphodeloideae) |
| Origin: South Africa (Africa) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Fall/Winter |
| Synonyms: [Aloiampelos tenuior] |
| Height: 3-4 feet |
| Width: 4-6 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Deer Tolerant: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 30-32° F |
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Aloe tenuior (Fence Aloe) - A shrub forming plant rising from a near tuberous base to 3 feet tall, or taller with support, by 5-6 feet wide with irregularly-branched, semi-woody long stems tipped with open rosettes of narrow pale blue-green 4-6 inch long by 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide leaves with tiny white teeth along the margins. With a peak from fall to late winter, but seemingly nearly any time of year except mid-summer, appear the terminal, usually unbranched, spikes of lemon yellow flowers. Plant in full sun to light shade (tolerates deep shade but does not seem to bloom) in a relatively well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally to infrequently. Not known to be particularly hardy to frost but our plants weathered the 1990 (<20 °F), 2007 (25°F) freezes without damage when only covered with frost cloth and went through the January 2013 freeze down to 27°F unprotected so is hardier than thought. This is a nice landscape plant that can form a large shrub-like mass topped with fine-textured foliage and an abundance of delicate yellow flowers. It can grow tall and even be used as a fence to 8 feet if supported on a chain link fence or it can grow up onto other shrubs. Also makes an interesting container specimen trained up with careful pruning like a wild living sculpture with its thick base exposed. This species is native to dry thickets from Eastern Cape and southern KwaZulu-Natal and while there are other colored forms in nature, our plants are a very nice yellow form. The species name tenuior is from the Latin word for "slender" or "very thin" in reference to the slender branches. In an interesting twist of nomenclature a recent article in the Journal >i>Phytotaxa 76 (1): 7–14 (2013), titled "A revised generic classification for Aloe (Xanthorrhoeaceae subfam. Asphodeloideae)" proposes that this plant actually be taken out of the genus aloe and given the name Aloiampelos tenuior (Haw.) Klopper & Gideon F.Sm., comb. Nov. and the other scrambling aloes (A. ciliaris, A. commixta, A. gracilis, A. juddii and A. striatula) be also put in the genus Aloiampelos, all of the tree aloes (Aloe barberae, A. dichotoma, A. eminens, A. pillansii, A. ramosissima and A. tongaensis ) be placed in the genus Aloidendron and that Aloe plicatilis, the popular Fan Aloe, be renamed Kumara disticha, a name that was used to described it by the German botanist Friedrich Kasimir Medikus in 1786. Until such time as this name change gets wider recognition we continue to call this plant by its original name. We got this plant in 1984 from Dylan Hannon, now curator of the Conservatory at the Huntington Botanic Gardens.
The information displayed on this page about Aloe tenuior is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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