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Products > Aloe maculata 'Jack-O-Lantern'   Aloe maculata 'Jack-O-Lantern' - Orange Soap Aloe     [2nd Image] Habit and Cultural Information Category: Succulent Family: Aloeaceae (now Asphodeloideae) Origin: South Africa (Africa) Evergreen: Yes Flower Color: Orange Bloomtime: Fall/Winter Synonyms: [Aloe saponaria] Height: 2-3 feet Width: 1-2 feet Exposure: Full Sun Summer Dry: Yes Deer Tolerant: Yes Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F Aloe maculata 'Jack-O-Latern' (Orange Soap Aloe) - A stemless plant that grows to 1 foot tall and 2 feet wide and suckers freely to form a good sized clump. The foliage is dark green at the tips with a reddish blush, while closer to the leaf base the color fades to a light green and is marked by faint white spots and the margins of the leaves are lined with brown teeth. The flowers on this selection are pumpkin orange instead of the more salmon-orange color of the typical form and tend to flower later so that flowers are present in late summer and fall - as with the typical form the flowers are held in capitate heads on a branched inflorescence over a long period. Plant in a well-drained soil in full sun where foliage color and flowering is best but grows well in part sun too. This drought tolerant plant needs little irrigation. Hardy to about 20 degrees F. The species was long called Aloe saponaria, a name based on the use of this plant for soap in its native South Africa. The current epithet 'maculata' meaning "spotted" is in reference to the white spots on the leaves. In "Aloes: The Definitive Guide" it is noted that the type locality of this wide-spread species is not known but it can be found growing in grasslands, scrub vegetation and rocky outcroppings from near the coast up into the Drakensberg Mountains from the Cape Peninsula east through the Cape Provinces into KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.  The information on this page is based on research conducted about this plant in the San Marcos Growers library, from online sources, and from observations made of the crops growing in our nursery, plants in the nursery's garden and those in other gardens where we may have observed it. We also have incorporated comments received from others and welcome getting feedback from those who may have additional information, particularly if this information includes cultural information that would aid others in growing Aloe maculata 'Jack-O-Lantern'.     [MORE INFO]