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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Aloeaceae (now Asphodeloideae) |
| Origin: South Africa (Africa) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Orange Red |
| Bloomtime: Winter |
| Height: 4-6 feet |
| Width: 4-5 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F |
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Aloe mawii (Khuzi) Shrub or small tree-like aloe to 6 feet tall, unbranched or branched with a dense rosettes of 2 foot long red tinged grey-green leaves that are 3 to 4 inches at the base and tapper to recurved narrowed tips with reddish margins and orange-brown teeth. In mid winter (January-February) in Southern California, when the foliage is often entirely red, appear the long inflorescences arching outward with reddish orange flowers held horizontally facing upward on one side of the stem (secund) with exerted blue-purple stamens tipped with orange anthers - quite attractive and unusual! Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally to infrequently. Cold hardy for short duration to around 25° F - has sustained damage at 27° F in Ojai California so likely best for coastal gardens or more frost free locations. The type locality is on the Zomba Plateau in Malawi but also grows into Mozambique and into southern Tanzania where it grows on grassy rocky slopes at altitudes between 1,800 and 6,000 feet. The form from the Mozambique area that we have is more branching and shrubby. The specific epithet honors Captain A.H. Maw, on whose property in Malawi the type specimen was collected. Common names include Chinthembwe (Nyanja, Tumbuka), Khuzi (Ngoni) and lichongwe (Yao). Our plants originated from stock received as Aloe mawii IAS12-019c from the Institute of Aloe Studies (IAS) in 2012. John Miller of IAS told us that his stock plant, which in 2016 had a 3 to 4 foot tall trunk branching with 5 heads, was originally purchased from Exotica Nursery in Germany.
Information displayed on this page about Aloe mawii 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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