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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Aloeaceae (Aloes) |
| Origin: Kenya (Africa) |
| Flower Color: Orange |
| Bloomtime: Spring/Summer |
| Synonyms: (A. nyeriensis ssp. kedongensis) |
| Height: 6-8 feet |
| Width: 4-5 feet |
| Exposure: Sun or Shade |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F |
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Aloe kedongensis (Kenyan Aloe) - This is a upright-growing succulent that forms a solid mass with multiple stems reaching 4-8 feet high topped with rosettes of bright green lightly spotted foliage. The salmon-orange flowers appear in unbranched spikes in late winter and spring. The stems lie over and the plant can spread laterally to form large clumps. Plant in full sun to light shade and irrigate only occasionally. Hardy to 25°. Aloe kedongensis grows within dense bushlands on rocky soil in the Kedong Valley and near Nakuru within the Great Rift Valley of Kenya. The Rift Valley is an intra-continental ridge system that runs through Kenya from north to south. The specific epithet refers to this plant being from the Kedong Valley, which was the site of an tragic massacre in 1895 involving tribal Swahili and Maasai with misinterpreted intervention by the British Army. This plant was first described by
Gilbert Westacott Reynolds (1895-1967) in the Journal of South African Botany (v19 n4) in 1953. Aloe kedongensis is one of a group of closely related tetraploid aloes that all grow near each other in East Africa and share a recent common ancestor. The other aloes in this group are Aloe cheranganiensis, Aloe dawei, Aloe elgonica, and Aloe nyeriensis (often synonymized with Aloe ngobitensis). We have sold this great landscape aloe since 2006 and first became interested in this plant after seeing it used in old Santa Barbra gardens as a low barrier or hedge plant. We received our first cuttings of Aloe kedongensis from Brian Kemble of the Ruth Bancroft Garden.
This description is based on our research and observations made of this plant as it grows in our nursery, in the nursery garden and in other gardens that we have visited. We will also incorporate comments received from others and always appreciate getting feedback of any kind from those who have some additional information about this plant, in particular if this information is contrary to what we have written or if they have additional cultural tips that would aid others in growing Aloe kedongensis.
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