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.
Origin
Aloiampelos ciliaris is native to South Africa (in frost free areas, including the Western Cape).
Subspecies, Varieties, Forms, Cultivars and Hybrids
Links
- Back to genus Aloiampelos
- Succulentopedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus
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