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Aloe porphyrostachys (Lavender Aloe) - A clumping aloe to 2 feet tall with pale green soft leaves that have large white teeth along the margins – leaves can have an unusual pale brownish purple color when in full sun with some white spotting. Flowering occurs in in late spring to early summer with the inflorescences single or branched near their base with stems (peduncles) held erect and holding the pendent are orange-red flowers in tightly packed columns.
Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil and irrigate only infrequently. It is hardy to around 25° F and survived such temperatures durring our 2007 freeze with 3 nights down this cold. This aloe does well for us along the coast and is considered to be one of the best desert species to grow in full, hot, summer sun. This plant has done well at the Ruth Bancroft Garden where curator Brian Kemble wrote about it noting "Its bold rosette of leaves and showy spires of intensely red-orange flowers make it a striking garden subject". The gel of this aloe is considered to have toxic properties so it should not be used for any medicinal or culinary purposes.
Aloe porphyrostachys occurs in along the east side of the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia where it was first described in 2000 from plants growing high (at around 6,500 feet) on a large granite massif called Jebel Radhwa north of the town of Yanbu. When described by John Lavranos and British Botanist Iris Sheila Collenette in the Journal of Cactus and Succulent Society of America (V.72 N.1) it became the most northerly occurrence of any aloe yet described. These same authors also described the closely related Aloe pseudorubroviolacea in this journal article, collected nearby to the south. The specific epithet is from Greek words 'porphyreos' meaning "purplish-red" and 'stachys' meaning "spike" in reference to the red flowered inflorescence. The common name Lavender Aloe applied by some to this plant is a reference to the unusual foliage color.
The information displayed on this page about Aloe porphyrostachys is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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