Scientific Name
Aloiampelos ciliaris (Haw.) Klopper Gideon F. Sm.
Common Name(s)
Common Climbing Aloe, Climbing Aloe, Fringe-leaved Aloe
Synonym(s)
Aloe ciliaris
Scientific Classification
Family: Asphodelaceae
Subfamily: Asphodeloideae
Genus: Aloe
Description
Aloiampelos ciliaris, formerly known as Aloe ciliaris, is a tough, rapidly growing succulent plant that can be differentiated from other species by how the soft, white, hair-like teeth (ciliaris) along the margins of the fleshy and strongly recurved leaves. It grows very quickly, producing long, thin, untidy stems that shoot upwards and large bright orange-red flowers once they reach the sun. If there are no nearby trees to act as host and support, the plant just forms a straggly shrub. The leaf sheaths are conspicuously striped green and white. Flowering time is almost throughout the year but with a peak in spring.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones 9a to 11b: from 20 °F (−6.7 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
Due to their hardiness and the wide range of flower colors, these slender succulents have become popular ornamental plants in South African gardens. The commoner species (such as the more widespread Aloes of the Eastern Cape) are increasingly grown in gardens overseas too.
Climbing Aloes require a sunny, well-drained position and are particularly suitable for rockeries. The taller, climbing species are commonly planted along fences and boundaries where they grow up through the surrounding foliage. However, the lower, rambling species are better suited for rockeries, slopes, or terraces, which they will naturally cascade down over.
Learn more at How to Grow and Care for Climbing Aloes.
Origin
This species is native to South Africa (in frost-free areas, including the Western Cape).
Hybrids
Links
- Back to genus Aloiampelos
- Succulentopedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus
