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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Aloeaceae (now Asphodeloideae) |
| Origin: Uganda (Africa) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Red/Purple Foliage: Yes |
| Flower Color: Red |
| Bloomtime: Fall |
| Height: 1 foot |
| Width: Clumping |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F |
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Aloe mubendiensis (Mubende Aloe) – A medium sized stemless aloe that suckers profusely to form large groups of dense compact 12inch wide rosettes of about 16 leaves that are about 1 foot long and 2 to 3 inches wide. The leaves are a dull gray-green color with a few scattered spots and light pink horny margins with widely spaced reddish brown teeth. In winter the leaves can often take on purple to orange-pink tones. In fall arise the 2 to 3 foot tall branching inflorescences bearing dark brick red flowers. Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally to infrequently. Has been reported hardy to around 25° F but we have not experienced temperatures this low since starting to grow this plant. It is an attractive low growing clustering aloe that has nice winter foliage color. In its natural habitat it has a restricted distribution from near Mubende, in the Toro District in western Uganda where it is most often found on isolated granite outcroppings, called inselbergs at 4,000 to 4,500 feet in elevation. The specific epithet comes from the location where it grows. It is a close relative to another Ugandan aloe, the larger Aloe labworana, which has longer leaves and yellow flowers with smaller floral bracts. Gilbert Reynolds considered this plant to be closely related to Aloe schweinfurthii, which makes some sense as he also considered Aloe labworana to be a variety of that species. We received our first stock plant of this great plant from Tom Cole, who operates Cold Springs Aloes in Montecito, California and co-authored Aloes of Uganda.
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 mubendiensis. |
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