Aloiampelos ciliaris (Climbing Aloe)

Scientific Name

Aloiampelos ciliaris (Haw.) Klopper Gideon F. Sm.

Common Names

Common Climbing Aloe, Climbing Aloe, Fringe-leaved Aloe

Synonyms

Aloe ciliaris (basionym)

Scientific Classification

Family: Asphodelaceae
Subfamily: Asphodeloideae
Tribe: Aloeae
Genus: Aloiampelos

Description

Aloiampelos ciliaris, formerly known as Aloe ciliaris, is a thin, tough, rapidly growing succulent plant. It can be differentiated from other Aloiampelos species by the way that the soft, white, hair-like teeth (ciliaris), that grow along the margins of the leaves, extend all the way around the stem, at the base of the leaf. The fleshy leaves themselves are strongly recurved. The leaf sheaths are conspicuously striped green and white. This plant grows very quickly, producing long, thin, untidy stems that shoot upwards, producing large, bright orange-red flowers once they reach the sun. If there are no nearby trees to act as host and support, it just forms a straggly shrub. Flowering time is almost throughout the year but with a peak in spring.

Photo via powo.science.kew.org

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. The lower, rambling species however, 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.