Aloiampelos striatula is a tough, hardy succulent from the mountains of South Africa's Karoo, forming a rambling shrub up to 2 m tall with yellow-orange flowers. It is grown as a sun-loving garden plant, and its key requirement is well-drained soil and full sun.
Family
Asphodelaceae (Aloe family)
Grows as
Succulent
Light
Full sun
Water
Water deeply but infrequently, letting the soil dry out fully between waterings.
Soil
Free-draining mix such as cactus or gritty soil.
Temperature
Tolerates cold well, including frost and light snow; protect from prolonged waterlogged cold.
How easy
Easy
About
Aloiampelos striatula, formerly Aloe striatula, the hardy aloe or striped-stemmed aloe, is a sturdy succulent plant that naturally occurs on the summits of mountains along the south of the Karoo region of South Africa. Tough and hardy, with bright yellow flowers, it is also cultivated as a garden ornamental.
How to grow it
One of the hardiest of aloes and relatives, it will tolerate a wide range of conditions, and is even known commonly as the "hardy aloe". It will tolerate much colder temperatures than most aloes and relatives, including frost and even some light snow, but it prefers full sun and well-drained soil. In the Eastern Cape it is often planted along the boundaries of kraals, as it naturally forms a well-shaped and hardy hedge. Like other climbing aloes, it can easily be propagated by cuttings(truncheons) as well as by seed.
The plant's Latin species epithet "striatula" means "little stripes", and refers to the thin dark-green stripes that can be seen on the plant's leaf sheaths. Due to their similar species names, striatula is often confused in literature with the similarly named Aloe striata ("coral aloe").
Where it grows
Aloiampelos striatula naturally occurs in the mountains of the Karoo region of South Africa, between the towns of Graaf-reinet and Queenstown in the Eastern Cape, extending into the Free State and Lesotho. It is very tough and hardy however and has been planted widely in gardens - in South Africa and around the world.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Aloiampelos striatula 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.