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Aloe arborescens
Also called Candelabra Plant, Octopus Plant, Krantz Aloe, Mountain Bush Aloe, Oldenland's Bush Aloe, Torchplant, Cliff Aloe
Candelabra aloe is a large, multi-headed succulent that can grow tree-sized, reaching 2 to 3 metres, with blue-green leaves and red-orange flowers in winter. It is grown mainly for its architectural form and winter blooms, and it needs well-drained soil and plenty of sun.
Aloe arborescens, commonly known as krantz aloe or the candelabra aloe, is a species of flowering succulent perennial plant that belongs to the genus Aloe, which it shares with the well known and studied Aloe vera. The specific epithet arborescens means "tree-like". Aloe arborescens is valued by gardeners for its succulent green leaves, large vibrantly-colored flowers, winter blooming, and attraction for birds, bees, and butterflies.
Aloe arborescens is valued by gardeners for its succulent green leaves, large vibrantly-colored flowers, and winter blooming. The sweet nectar attracts birds, butterflies, and bees. With a minimum temperature of 10 °C (50 °F), in temperate regions it is grown under glass. The cultivar A. arborescens 'Variegata' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. In Southern Africa, Aloe arborescens is traditionally planted around kraals (domestic stock enclosures) as a living fence or security hedge. It often happens that the position of old kraals can still be seen many years after they have been abandoned, because the aloes persist. It is easily propagated by cuttings.
Aloe arborescens is endemic to the south eastern part of Southern Africa. Specifically, this range includes the countries of South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. It has the third largest distribution amongst the aloe genus. Although Aloe arborescens has adapted to many different habitats, its natural habitat usually consists of mountainous areas, including rocky outcrops and exposed ridges. Its common name krantz aloe refers to the Afrikaans word "krans" (spelling possibly influenced by German "Kranz"), which means a rocky cliff. Its habitat can vary, and it is one of only a few species of aloe that is found growing from sea level up to the tops of mountains.
Aloe aaata · Aloe aageodonta · Aloe abyssicola · Tent Cent Aloe · Spotted Aloe · African Aloe · White Grass Aloe · Aloe albiflora · Aldabra Aloe · Aloe ambigens · Aloe andongensis · Wylliespoort Aloe
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Aloe arborescens by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
