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Aloe affinis - A stemless or short-stemmed solitary Aloe that has a rosette up to 1 to 2 feet tall with light green colored leaves marked with many longitudinal dark lines on the upper surface and are paler and lightly marked below with leaf tips often pink tinged with teeth and leaf margins that are a dark reddish-brown. The flower stalk is a tightly branched panicle rising 2 to 3 feet above the rosette covered densely with deep pink to brick-red flowers that appear between late fall and early winter with flower buds often having visible striping with darker red bands.
Plant in full coastal sun or light shade. Has proven fairly drought resistant even in summer dry gardens but looks best when irrigated in summer. Hardy to 22 F.
Aloe affinis aloe is found in the summer rainfall areas of the eastern Transvaal (Swaiziland north to Marieps Mountain) where it grows with shrubs and grasses on rocky slopes between 3000-4000 feet where it experiences moderate to warm summer temperatures and light frosts in winter. The name 'affinis', meaning "related to" or "resembling" comes from this plant's relationship to other maculate or spotted aloes such as Aloe maculata (ex. A. saponaria) although A. affinis has larger leaves, is usually unspotted and, unlike much of this group, remains mostly solitary. We first grew this plant from seed given to us by Brian Kemble, curator of the Ruth Bancroft Garden in 2003.
The information displayed on this page about Aloe affinis 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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