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| Aloe is a genus containing about 400 species of flowering succulent plants. The most common and well known of these is Aloe vera, or "true aloe". The genus is native to Africa, and is common in South Africa's Cape Province, the mountains of tropical Africa, and neighbouring areas such as Madagascar, the Arabian peninsula, and the islands of Africa. Most Aloe species have a rosette of large, thick, fleshy leaves. The leaves are often lance-shaped with a sharp apex and a spiny margin. Aloe flowers are tubular, frequently yellow, orange, pink or red, and are borne, densely clustered and pendant, at the apex of simple or branched, leafless stems. Many species of Aloe appear to be stem less, with the rosette growing directly at ground level; other varieties may have a branched or unbranched stem from which the fleshy leaves spring. They vary in colour from grey to bright-green and are sometimes striped or mottled. Some Aloes native to South Africa are arborescent. Aloe hereroensis is native to Angola, Namibia and South Africa. The flowers may be red, yellow or orange, growing in short, capitate racemes. The plants tend to grow single rosettes, but may be branched to comprise up to three similar rosettes. The inflorescence is usually repeatedly branched, resulting in an elaborate panicle presenting a colourful display. The lower leaf surface is characteristically spotted, especially in young plants, whilst the upper one is clear of such spots, distinguishing the species from the maculate aloes. USDA Zone - 9 Season to Sow - Spring |
