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Aloiampelos commixta
Also called Table Mountain Aloe
A small, rambling, multi-stemmed succulent from the Cape Peninsula of South Africa, rarely over 1 m tall, that sprawls over rocks and produces bright orange-yellow flowers in late winter. It needs a Mediterranean-type climate with winter rain and good drainage to thrive.
Aloiampelos commixta is a flowering plant in the Asphodelaceae family. It is commonly called Table Mountain aloe, and is a rare succulent plant that is endemic to the Cape Peninsula, South Africa. It naturally occurs only on the Table Mountain range, within the city of Cape Town.
This plant thrives in the winter-rainfall climate of the Cape, to which it is perfectly adapted. It is thus difficult to cultivate outside of mediterranean-type climates, and it does not do well in tropical or summer-rainfall areas.
It can survive in most soil types – other than coastal beach sand dunes. In its natural habitat however, it normally grows in slightly acidic sand. Unlike most members of the tribe Aloeae, it tolerates some light semi-shade as well.
Cape Town's very own unique aloe relative, this species is indigenous (and endemic) to the Cape Peninsula. Within this tiny natural range, Aloiampelos commixta is particularly concentrated in the central region of the Peninsula, in the area around Kommetjie, Kalk Bay, Fishhoek, Simonstown and Miller's Point (although smaller, outlying populations exist elsewhere on the Table Mountain chain). This elegant little plant is also one of only three aloes and their relatives that are indigenous to the city of Cape Town (the others being the fynbos aloe and the soap aloe).
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Aloiampelos commixta 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.
