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Aloidendron dichotomum

Aloe dichotoma

Also called Quiver tree

Aloidendron dichotomum
Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, CC BY-SA 4.0

A tall, branching succulent tree from the arid Northern Cape of South Africa and southern Namibia, grown as a landscape specimen in dry climates. Key to success is very sharp drainage, full sun and very little water, especially in winter.

Family
Asphodelaceae (Aloe family)
Grows as
Tree, Succulent
Light
Full sun
Water
Water very sparingly, mainly in winter; let the soil dry out fully between waterings.
Soil
Extremely well-drained coarse mineral sand, ideally with some loam and bone meal.
Temperature
Tolerates hot, dry conditions; protect from frost and prolonged cold.
How easy
Hard

About

Aloidendron dichotomum, formerly Aloe dichotoma, the quiver tree or kokerboom, is a tall, branching species of succulent plant, indigenous to Southern Africa, specifically in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, and parts of Southern Namibia.

How to grow it

Aloidendron dichotomum is cultivated in arid areas around the world, for use in landscaping. The slow growth rate and relative rarity of the plant make it a particularly expensive specimen. It is also relatively difficult to keep outside of its natural habitat.

In cultivation it requires extremely well-drained coarse mineral sand (preferably with some loam and bone meal to keep it active and growing), full sun, good aeration and extremely little water - primarily in the winter (as it mainly occurs in winter rainfall desert areas). In the (rare) event that it is under-watered, the leaves will curl up and die off at the tips; this is not fatal, but indicates that it is relatively dry.

Where it grows

One of the few examples of spontaneous forests of A. dichotomum is the Quiver Tree Forest, about 14 km north of Keetmanshoop, in Namibia. Another is located in the Northern Cape of South Africa at Gannabos.

Other Aloe plants

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 Aloidendron dichotomum 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.

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