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[2nd Image]
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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Aloeaceae (now Asphodeloideae) |
| Origin: Madagascar |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Salmon |
| Bloomtime: Summer/Fall |
| Synonyms: [A. deltoideodonta var. candicans, var. fallax] |
| Height: <1 foot |
| Width: 1-2 feet |
| Exposure: Sun or Shade |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F |
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Aloe deltoideodonta - This stemless or short-stemmed Aloe from rocky slopes from 2,100 to 2,600 feet elevation in the mountainous Fianarantsoa province of southern central Madagascar. It produces pups from the base to make a cluster of rosettes with pale green 6 to 8 inch long by 2 inch wide leaves with prominent darker-green parallel lines and straw-colored margins. It occasionally is shy to bloom but every so often it can surprise you in late summer with a good show of short-branched or unbranched conical inflorescence with green-tipped pale orange flowers that open to near white and deflex downward. Plant in full sun to light shade in a well-drained soil and water occasionally in summer months. We have had this plant outside during cold nights to 25 F without any damage. This is an attractive plant for a small to medium sized container or in a well-drained spot in the dry garden. The species comes from rocky sandstone hills at around 3,300 feet in elevation in southwest Madagascar. The specific epithet 'deltoideodonta' means "triangular teeth" in reference to the shape of the teeth on the leaf marigin and the variety name 'candicans' meaning "whitish" (or becoming white) is likely in reference to the flower color which fades to near white. We received this plant from Aloe hybridizer John Bleck as Aloe deltoideodonta var. candicans in the mid 1990's and have seen it in many other collections under this name. Some note that the foliage more closely resembles what is described as Aloe deltoideodonta v. fallax but there is some disagreement over the varietal names in the Aloe deltoideodonta group, which some believe not one species but a complex of species. This is discussed in Jean-Bernard an Jean Philippe Castillon's "Aloes of Madagascar", which includes arguments made that Aloe deltoideodonta is itself a form of Aloe madecassa. In this book the description and images of Aloe deltoideodonta v. fallax more closely matche this plant, but in the more recent book "Aloes: The Definitive Guide" a distinquishing characteristic of Aloe deltoideodonta var. candicans is it having conspicuous white bracts, which our plant certainly has. In the December 2014 issue of Adansonia (the journal of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris) Jean-Philippe Castion renamed this variety from Aloe deltoideodonta v. fallax, a name first published by his father, to Aloe horombensis subsp. fallax. We are open to suggestions on which name to use for this attractive plant.
Information displayed on this page about Aloe deltoideodonta is based on the research conducted about it in our library and from reliable online resources. We also note those observations we have made of this plant as it grows in the nursery's garden and in other gardens, as well how crops have performed in our nursery field. We will incorporate comments we receive from others, and welcome to hear from anyone who may have additional information, particularly if they share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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