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Products > Aloe fleurentiniorum
 
Aloe fleurentiniorum - Yemeni Brown Aloe
   

 
Habit and Cultural Information
Category: Succulent
Family: Aloeaceae (now Asphodeloideae)
Origin: Yemen (Asia)
Evergreen: Yes
Red/Purple Foliage: Yes
Flower Color: Rose Pink
Bloomtime: Year-round
Synonyms: [A. fleurentinorum, A edentata]
Height: 1-2 feet
Width: 2-3 feet
Exposure: Full Sun
Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs
Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F
Aloe fleurentiniorum (Yemeni Brown Aloe) - A stemless plant to 2 feet tall with rosettes to 2 to 3 feet wide thick recurving very dark olive green leaves that are moderately rough textured with nearly no marginal spines and often tinged reddish brown when grown in full sun. The leaves are sometimes slightly convex (bulging outward) or nearly flat on the upper surface but can become channeled towards the center (canaliculate) if water stressed and this is how they would be found in their natural habitat. Flowering with this species can occur nearly anytime of the year with 1 to 2 foot tall branched inflorescence holding reddish pink flowers. Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally to very little - quite drought tolerant and hardy to around 25 °F. This plant is naturally occurring growing on limestone and sandstone hills in Yemen Sana'a Province extending into Saudi Arabia where it is found on rocky slopes in Asir Province at 5,000 to 7,700 feet in elevation. It grows along the eastern rain-shadowed slopes and blooms after any significant precipitation. This plant was first described as Aloe fleurentinorum by John Lavranos and Len Newton in The Cactus and Succulent Society of American (CSSA) Journal 49:3 (May-Jun 1977) but was corrected to the current spelling in accordance with rules of the International Code of Nomenclature. A single specimen was first discovered in the Wadi Dhahr in Sana'a Province by John Lavranos in 1974 who returned to the area with Len Newton in 1976. Not only did they find more plants in the wild but discovered the species growing in the garden of their hosts, Jacky and Marine Fleurentin, and the species was named in honor of the Fleurentin's contributions to the study of Yemeni plants. This plant was at first thought to be a form or hybrid of the similar Aloe inermis, also from Yemen, but it does not have an overlapping range and has a stouter more erect and less branched inflorescence and leaves that are darker black green and rougher in texture than Aloe inermis and the later always has a channeled (canaliculate) upper leaf surface, even when growing in cultivation. 

Information displayed on this page about Aloe fleurentiniorum is based on our research conducted about this plant in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about it as it has grown in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will 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.

 
San Marcos Growers closed for regular business at the end of 2025 as the property is being developed for affordable housing.
While our gates remain closed, we will open them by appointment so we can liquidate remaining plants, supplies and equipment. The plants remaining in the field are listed on our Live Inventory Page.
 
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