Today I have just a short article for you. This species, Aloe chabaudii, does not have a common Afrikaans or English name, or any local names I could find. Nevertheless, it is quite a common aloe, both in the wild as well as in cultivation. It is named after John A. Chabaud, a collector in whose garden it first flowered. The one you see here is a specimen flowering in my own garden, surrounded with succulents: carrion flowers, tackies, and a couple of other aloe species. These plants all come from dry regions in my home province, Limpopo. Unfortunately I lost this aloe specimen when someone drove a car right through my front garden beds! I still have many others, but so far none of them have flowered as nicely as this one.

The genus Aloe is extremely diverse. It includes large, branching, tree-like species such as the Quiver Tree, tall single-stemmed species like the Mountain Aloe, and many small species, including some truly tiny ones. Aloe chabaudii is a medium-sized species. It never grows an above-ground trunk, but forms fairly large rosettes that grow from underground stems. These can branch and form new rosettes from suckers. The rosette can reach about a metre/yard in diameter, and the leaves are greyish-green. Young plants may have white spots on the leaves, but old plants have unmarked leaves, or faint lines on the leaves. The only other aloe in its distribution range here in South Africa that has similar grey-green rosettes, is the species Aloe globuligemma. These two species can easily be distinguished when they flower, though: globuligemma has inflorescences with the tips bent outwards at an angle, and the flowers are arranged in long rows along the tips of the inflorescence, turned upwards and with swollen-looking bud tips. Aloe chabaudii has a very different inflorescence, profusely branched and with the flowers hanging down, with swollen bases rather than tips.

Floristically, Aloe chabaudii is one of the prettiest of aloes. As you can see from my photo, flowers are profuse and borne in racemes that can be spreading or head-shaped. The flowers are pinkish, yellow, orange or reddish. The yellow and orange forms have been noted in Zimbabwe, the South African ones being more reddish. The species is variable in the size of the inflorescence, and the rosettes can also differ, some having brighter green leaves. All of them are very attractive. This species flowers in the winter.

This aloe grows in the wild in the far north of South Africa, mainly the province of Limpopo and the east of Mpumalanga. It also reaches the north of Swaziland. From here it grows northward through Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, and as far as Tanzania. It grows in hot savannah, usually the dry type, often in rocky places. It also grows in open grassland. It is especially characteristic of the vegetation of the Limpopo valley, often growing where Baobabs do.

This species is easy to grow, at least here in South Africa. It needs a warm climate, specifically a hot summer, but can withstand light frost in the winter. In regions experiencing heavy frost, it needs a sunny hothouse. It is perhaps too large for an indoor container, unless you can find one of the smaller varieties, or if you have a very large and bright indoors area. A specimen in a large pot on a sunny porch in a not-too-cold climate might work well. This aloe doesn't need lots of water. In winter, especially, watering must be light and infrequent. Once the climatic factors are taken care of, however, it grows easily. It can be propagated by separating the new rosettes that will grow at the base of the original one from suckers. It can be propagated by seed as well, which is typical for an aloe, being small and flat. These can be sown in a well-draining, sandy medium. Just sprinkle the seed on top, cover with a very thin layer of sand, and keep moist. You can get seeds of this species from Silverhill Seeds (easily found by internet search). You might also be able to get specimens from succulent specialists. Here in South Africa it is very easy to find in horticulture. It is a most rewarding species for its beauty, for being low maintenance, and for attracting nectar-feeding insects and birds.

Colours of Wildlife Archive

Willem

02.06.14 Front Page

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