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x Gasteraloe 'Kabela' – An attractive rosette forming succulent that grows to about 6 inches tall by 10 inches wide with pale silver green lightly tuberculated 5 to 6 inch long triangular leaves with darker green margins edged with small teeth. Though noted as not offsetting much, which keeps the plant a nice symmetrical rosette, a few pups do sometimes form at its base, which are easily removed to be potted up and shared. The flowers in spring that are well spaced out on sparingly branched 12 to 18 inch stalks are tubular with salmon pink pedicels and flower bases and green turning light yellow at the slightly upturned tip.
Plant in a part sun location in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally. It is listed as hardy to 25 °F but we have only experienced temperatures just below freezing (31.5 °F) since having this plant outdoors. Though we have only grown it as a potted specimen, we believe it would do nicely in a well-drained location in the mild climate rock or succulent garden.
x Gasteraloe 'Kabela' was described in an article titled "Gasteraloe 'Kabela'" in the March 2006 issue of Alsterworthia International: the Asphodelaceae Journal (V.6 N.1) , as a hybrid created by the author, Russell Scott of Melbourne, Australia, using David Cumming's hybrid Gasteria 'Perfectus' as the seed parent crossed with a rigid non offsetting form of Aloe aristata with this resulting selection showing characteristics intermediate between its parents. This article further notes that the name Kabela is Swahili meaning "Tribe" and that this name was proposed by Gary Robinson of Western Australia, who put the plant into production in a micropropagation facility (tissue culture).
We believe we have identified this plant correctly to this variety but received it unnamed from Joe Ambriz of Ambriz Kingdom of Plants, who had in turned received it without a name. Our plants were produced by coring the center of several mature plants, which promoted the many offshoots we potted up. What appears to be this same or a very similar plant is called x Gasteraloe 'Savannah' or 'Silver Swirls', though some sources note it a larger plant with bumpier leaves than 'Kabela'.
The information displayed on this page about Gasteraloe 'Kabela is based on the research we have conducted about it in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about this plant as it grows in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant have performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we have received from others and welcome hearing from anyone with information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information that will aid others to better grow it.
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