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Aloe reitzii (Reitz's Aloe) - A robust stemless plant, usually with a single rosette to 3 feet tall, with long relatively broad silvery blue-green leaves with reddish teeth along the margins. In summer appears the spectacular inflorescence that branches near its base (2 to 6 times) with each stem becoming a vertical spike rising well above the foliage and holding dark red to orange-red down-curved flowers that lie flat against the stems with the oldest flowers turning yellow at the tips starting from the bottom of the spike. Young plants may produce only one raceme, but older plants can produce multiple racemes, further enhancing a spectacular sight.
Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil and irrigate rarely to occasionally. According to Brian Kemble this plant has proven hardy in cultivation at the Ruth Bancroft Garden down to 20F. A great plant for the dry garden or as a container specimen, though seed grown plants can take up to 7 years to mature and begin blooming. It is unusual because of its downturned flowers and because it blooms in summer, while most other Aloes are fall, winter or spring blooming.
This plant has a restricted distribution in a very small area on rocky slopes in the grasslands near the Belfast district of Mpumalanga in northern KwaZulu-Natal. The name Aloe comes from ancient Greek name aloe that was derived from the Arabian word 'alloch' that was used to describe the plant or its juice that was used as medicine. Gilbert Reynolds named this plant in 1943 to honor Francis William Reitz, then the South African Minister of Agriculture and nephew of the president of the Orange Free State, with whom he shared the same last name. There is also a winter-blooming form of this plant called Aloe reitzii var. vernalis that comes from The Vryheid District to the south. Gilbert Reynolds named this plant in 1943 to honor Francis William Reitz, then the South African Minister of Agriculture and nephew of the president of the Orange Free State, with whom he shared the same name. We have grown this attractive hardy aloe since 2011.
The information displayed on this page about Aloe reitzii 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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