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Aloe capitata var. quartziticola - A stemless aloe with a dense yet open most often solitary rosette with many 2 inch wide by 12- to 18-inch-long gray-green fleshy leaves that can be blushed with bluish, pink or even dark red on the leaves and with red margins and small sharp brown teeth. In mid-winter appear the up to 3-foot-tall inflorescences top with dense 4-inch-long spherical capitate racemes of orange buds on reddish pedicles that open to display orange-yellow 1 inch long narrow bell shaped flowers that open first from near the top.
Plant in full to part sun to light shade in a well-drained soil and give occasional to infrequent irrigation. This aloe is hardier than most Malagasy aloes and is cold hardy to short duration temperatures down to 25°F and has even withstood 20°F at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek. This is a very decorative plant that is stunning when in bloom. In Aloes: The Definitive Guide it notes that "The most robust and spectacular of the stemless varieties of A. capitata is var. quartziticola, which has large, almost spherical, brightly coloured inflorescences with extremely numerous flowers, sometimes more than 100."
Aloe capitata var. quartziticola comes from quartzite soils over the southern half of the Central Highlands of Madagascar at altitudes of 3,200 to 5,200 feet. The specific epithet is in reference to the capitate flower heads and the varietal name is in reference to the plant growing on a quartzite substrate. Our initial stock plant of this species was purchased at Arid Lands Greenhouse in 2009 when in Tucson, Arizona for the biennual Cactus and Succulent Society Convention that year, but our later crops, which we have sold since 2015 came from seed produced in the Santa Barbara garden of Bob and Jeanette Mustacich and later from seed off isolated plants from these seedlings that we maintain and collect seed from.
The information about Aloe capitata var. quartziticola displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include 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 we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
