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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Aloeaceae (now Asphodeloideae) |
| Origin: South Africa (Africa) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Red/Purple Foliage: Yes |
| Flower Color: Orange |
| Bloomtime: Winter/Spring |
| Synonyms: [X Gastrolea 'Midnight', Aloe gastrolea] |
| Parentage: (Gasteria x Aloe) |
| 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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x Gasteraloe (Gasteria x Aloe) 'Midnight' - A rosette forming succulent to 8 to 12 inches tall by 1 foot wide with rough-textured knobby narrow 4 to 8 inch long leaves with soft tiny teeth along the leaf margins. The new leaves emerge a dark green and quickly get dark reddish highlights and if in enough light turn a dark purple color that could be described as midnight black. The 18 inch tall inflorescences emerge in summer to hold pale orange flowers. Plant in full sun (coastal) to light shade in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally. Cold hardy to around 25° F. Makes a great container plant and colors up best when in full sun. This plant was reported to be an intergeneric hybrid created by the crossing of an Aloe with a Gasteria by Kelly Griffin, then with Rancho Soledad Nursery. Often Aloe and Gasteria hybrids are listed as x Gastrolea but we follow the recent treatment by Len E. Newton (Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya) in Urs Eggli's "Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Monocotyledons" (Springer, 2001) who notes the correct name to be x Gasteraloe. This plant may also be sold under the name of Aloe 'Black Beauty' or Aloe gastrolea 'Midnight'.
This information about Gasteraloe 'Midnight' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate 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 that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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