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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Aloeaceae (now Asphodeloideae) |
| Origin: South Africa (Africa) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Yellow & Orange |
| Bloomtime: Year-round |
| Synonyms: [Aloe rudikoppe, A. 'Little Gem'] |
| Parentage: (Aloe zubb hybrid) |
| Height: 1-2 feet |
| Width: 2-3 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
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Aloe 'Rooikappie' (Little Red Riding Hood Aloe) - A very attractive smaller clumping aloe that grows to less than 1 foot tall with many densely-clustered 12 inch wide rosettes of medium green, attractively spotted leaves that arch outward then slightly down near the tips and produce 2 foot tall branched, flat-topped inflorescences of flowers that are orange in bud with pendant flowers opening to show pale yellow interior and petals. Flowering has been noted year round but is especially prolific in the fall. Plant in full sun to light shade. Give occasional to infrequent irrigation. A great accent plant in a small garden or massed as a ground cover. It is not prone to the tip die-back or other blemishes that seem to plague many other of the spotted aloes. This plant, noted by John Trager of the Huntington Botanic Gardens as one of the best results of aloe hybridization, was bred by the late Cynthia Giddy, possibly as early as 1974, and thought to be from an open-pollinated cross of an unknown plant with what was thought to be Aloe sinkatana, but was more likely the newly described Aloe zubb. Giddy was a South African conservationist, horticulturist and author of "The Cycads of South Africa" (Purnell & Sons,1974 ). She was a noted authority on clivia, aloe and African cycads and maintained a nursery in Natal, South Africa. The name 'rooikappie' translates in Afrikaans as "little red cap" and was the name used for the for Grimm's fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood". This plant was from the Huntington Botanic Garden (HBG 32501) and distributed in 2004 through International Succulent Introductions as ISI 2004-13. Aloe 'Rooikappie' Giddy is sometimes sold under the name, Aloe rudikoppe or as 'Little Gem'. It was originally thought to be a hybrid of Aloe sinkatana but most of the plants long described as this species in cultivation have been determined to be a different taxa and recently been renamed Aloe zubb.
Information displayed on this page about Aloe 'Rooikappie' 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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