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Aloe arborescens var. mzimnyati (Dwarf Torch Aloe) - A small to medium size succulent shrub to 30 inches tall by an equal spread with branching stems holding many open 10-inch-wide rosettes of narrow recurved soft-toothed margined green leaves that blush with red tones under drought stress. The orange flowers are held on an unbranched inflorescence that rises a foot to 18 inches above the foliage in late mid to late winter. They are smaller, lighter colored, and appear later in winter than the fall flowering species.
Plant in full sun along the coast to light shade. This plant is new to cultivation but based on the performance of the species and what we have seen in the nursery, this drought tolerant plant should be a great plant for in coastal California, growing without any supplementary irrigation and cold hardy down to the mid 20s F. Its smaller size also makes it a better choice for mixed rock and succulent gardens and tight areas where Aloe arborescens itself would be too large.
For more information about the species see our listing of Aloe arborescens. Several variations of Aloe arborescens, which has a wide natural distribution through much of southern Africa (from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi south through eastern South Africa), have been given formal status as a subspecific or variety including this plant that was described by South African botanists Ernst J. Van Jaarsveld and Abraham Erasmus van Wyk in 2005 from plants found only on cliffs along the lower Mzimnyati River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. While this name is listed as accepted by Kew in their database, other botanical experts regard all varieties and subspecies of Aloe arborescens as being a single variable species that needs further research. We first received this plant from John Miller of the Institute for Aloe Studies in September 2020 as IAS 20-002c.
The information displayed on this page about Aloe arborescens var. mzimnyati 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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