Scientific Name
Aloiampelos commixta (A.Berger) Klopper & Gideon F.Sm.
Common Name(s)
Peninsula Rambling Aloe, Table Mountain Aloe
Synonym(s)
Aloe commixta
Scientific Classification
Family: Asphodelaceae
Subfamily: Asphodeloideae
Genus: Aloe
Description
Aloiampelos commixta, formerly known as Aloe commixta, is a rambling multi-stemmed plant with slender stems that tend to sprawl along the ground. The stems grow up to 3.3 feet (1 m) long. Leaves are fleshy, with tiny white teeth along the margins and distinctive green stripes on the internodes. They are up to 8 inches (20 cm) long and evenly spaced on the stem. ,. The leaves do not recurve downwards, as in the case of many other Aloiampelos species. The reddish buds open into dense, bright yellow-orange flowers. They appear in late winter bunched together more densely at the top of the raceme.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zone 10a to 11b: from 30 °F (−1.1 °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.
See more at How to Grow and Care for Climbing Aloes.
Origin
This species is native to South Africa (endemic to the Cape Peninsula).
Links
- Back to genus Aloiampelos
- Succupedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus
