The iceplant Mesembreyanthemum crystallinum

The thought struck me that I should at least give the scientific name of the iceplant in my description of this plant in the previous post. To my surprise the first information I looked up on the web gave the distribution of the plant as Mexico and the USA. That was when I decided to go to the web site of the University of California. The plant is from South Africa but it was accidentally introduced to America by the first seafarers.

Crystalline iceplant occurs along the immediate coast from the SanFrancisco Bay region south into Baja California, Mexico. It can also be found on all the California Channel Islands..... It is found primarily in saline soils on coastal strand, coastal sage scrub, coastal bluffs and cliffs, and other disturbed ground. It tolerates saline soils, but not frost.

Mesembreyanthemum crystallinum grows not only on the coast but also in the dry sandy loam of Namaqualand which contains a lot of salts. There is frost inland so that it could not be very sensitive to frost in habitat possibly because it is protected by shrubs and boulders.

Something special about the plant - In the old days it was (probably still is) used to clean pots. A little sand added to the leaf mush will scour and clean a pot quickly. Not so long ago I met a woman who grew up in a household where the pots were scoured and cleaned in this way. I can imagine the women who live far from towns in the dry Namaqualand with very little cash money, could still be using this plant for soap and water. The juice and pulp of the iceplant is very good treatment for the skin.

I found a photo of the iceplant that we took a previous winter. This photo was taken in Namaqualand. I was more interested in taking a photo of the dashing grasshopper "knight with his armor" than the iceplant.

Is he smart or what ?!

See more photos in the previous post below.

Visit our hobby garden web site for tips to grow aloes from seeds

the quiver tree Aloe dichotoma in habitat. During his visit to us my son wanted to see the "Quiver Tree forest". That is an experience not to be missed by anybody visiting South Africa or Namibia. To appreciate the full effect of the harsh climate in which these aloes grow visit in December, which was when these photos were taken.

The drive is roughly 500 km there and back. Our grandson Thomas enjoyed the boerewors and mielies for lunch (beef sausage and corn on the cob) at a picnic spot in the shade.

Exploring the world with Grandpa - on the shady side of the tree.

Note there is only a hint of green. Everything goes without water until the rains start after April.

Where are the lions and elephants ?

The Ice-plant in bloom. That is good strategy. In the rainy season there are daisies and mesemb flowers all over. In the dry summer months the few insects around will not miss the chance to visit this flower and pollination is for sure.

The name ice-plant has nothing to do with temperatures, but the cells filled with water must have reminded the local people of ice. It is more obvious in winter when the plant is bright green with the cells full of water and glistening in the sun.

Because of its sponge like fibrous composition the trunk of Aloe dichotoma has a very light weight. Thomas (aged three years and five months) kindly agreed to demonstrate the weight of a dead Aloe dichotoma trunk. The wind was strong and made it difficult for him to keep his balance, but he was not going to give up.

If a guy must pose on a photo for Grandma he will do it with a smile.

Finally the stem was in line with the wind and he could pose.

A last stop to get some of the high quality sandy loam for Grandpa's seedlings.

Visit our hobby garden web site for tips to grow aloes from seeds

terrestrial orchids companion plants for aloes

The small terrestrial orchid Pterygodium.volucris can grow happy in the same conditions as the aloes in the garden. The name orchid usually goes with pretty or very odd flowers, but not in the case of this small orchid. The flowers are so plain and the same color as the leaves so that it is easy to overlook them. The plants are neat and they grow very easy.
Pterygodium.volucris is from the winter rainfall area so it needs rest in summer and water in winter. It can remain in the ground in a dry climate.

The orchids grow next to the Paintbrush lily Haemanthus coccinius (photo above) which bloomed a few weeks ago. The leaves in the background are from another lily Amaryllis belladonna.

The two large leaves are from the Paintbrush lily Haemanthus coccinius.
The Paintbrush lily sends out the flower first, then the leaves. They measure, each 39 cm long and 17 cm wide. In inches that is roughly 16 inches long and 7 inches wide. I measured them.

The little blue aloe is a hybrid growing without asking anything. I would have liked to ask it to make an offshoot or two, but it is not going to happen.

The winter rain has started and the dry patches between the aloes are turning green - soon there will be flowers all over. For now we enjoy the green and the anticipation.

Cultivating the perfect garden aloe hybrid which would bloom throughout the year (preferably) is ongoing and not far away. There are aloe hybrids which bloom three or more times a year, with only a few weeks between the previous inflorescens and the new one. There are also the tropical aloe species that bloom twice a year and the aloe species growing in very arid regions will bloom after good rains whenever that opportunity arrives. Combining these aloes in hybrids is difficult as the seeds are seldom viable when the plants differ so much, but there are people out there who just love a challenge.

We started off with Aloe species plants. It is convenient to know exactly how the plant will look and what it needs to grow when planning where to plant it. Then in time we obtained some hybrids. A few times we thought (or was told) that the hybrid was a species plant and at first we were disappointed, but in the end we were not unhappy with the mistake as the hybrids were always very nice.
These plants were easy to grow and more often than not, they had very nice flowers.
Then we saw some hybrids not done by the birds and bees but by careful cultivation. They were stunning. However we do not have the years on our side, so we make some uncomplicated hybrids and enjoy the surprises given to us by the birds and bees.

Aloe dorothea hybrid is ideal for a border. The aloe sends out offshoots which will form a solid border. The leaves are a shiny yellow-green which will shade dark olive in full sun. The bright red flowers are also glossy and to top this, this aloe hybrid blooms at least three times a year - that is less than a month from the seeds on the old inflorescens to when the new one starts to grow out.

Some medium size aloe hybrids for the a garden.

Photo above. The aloe from my previous blog on buds Aloe petricola x Aloe speciosa, is a convenient size plant for most small gardens and a blue aloe always shows off well in a green garden - even when not in flower. Flowering time is in winter.

Aloe framesii x Aloe arenicola hybrid is a deep green and would not show off from a distance in a green garden - it usely has the effect of surprise at finding the pretty plant when it catches the eye of visiters in our garden.

photo above. Against the wall - what better than an assortment
of Aloe arborescens hybrids and cultivars.

A focal point

Photo above. The red hybrid is Aloe ferox X Aloe arborescens (red). The other side of this hybrid and in bloom at the same time, is an Aloe thraskii hybrid.

The focal point could be on size. We had no idea that this would be the size that this hybrid below would aim for. It is not planted as a focal point but on the side of the garden behind a tree. Many aloes grow higher than 2 m. but that is mainly due to a long stem not a large rosette like this aloe. This seed decided to go one better on Aloe marlothii. The effect of this hybrid on visitors in the garden is - "What is this?!" A man can stand in front of this aloe with his arms spread out and the aloe will still be higher and wider (and it is still growing).

The pole is 2 m. above ground.

At half the size in bloom.

It is possible to see the parent plants of an Aloe F1 hybrid. Further back than
that is for the experts with experience in hybridizing. Some garden hybrids have
been going on for generations, we do not even try to think what is in their
background as long as they are pretty and easy for the garden, that is what matters.

more aloe buds Our winter is an exciting time with at least 80% of our aloes blooming from late fall to early spring. The real thrill is when a rare aloe blooms for the first time and buds are visible on our Aloe sabaea from Yemen! I have not seen this aloe in bloom except on a picture. Buds are also showing on Aloe rubroviolacea, also from Yemen and I have not seen it "live in bloom" either.

The raceme is often mentioned in describing aloes, it is the part of the stem on which the flowers are attached. The length of the raceme change the image of the flowering aloe a lot. Directly below is Aloe mitriformis with a very short raceme and at the bottom Aloe speciosa has a raceme that is roughly 40 cm long.

The buds of Aloe mitriformis on the left has just passed their green phase. This is the stage in the development of the flowers that I find the most attractive of this aloe, before it changes to the flowering shape on the photo right. There is no dramatic shading in the growth of the buds or in the open flowers.

Aloes tend to vary in the same species. As can be seen in Aloe mitriformis flowers above. The raceme is longer which space the flowers wider apart. The new bud can be seen on the right bottom of the photo on the left. It is obvious that the flowers will not be densely packed. However, that is not the only difference, these flowers are wider apart but much longer than the Aloe mitriformis flowers above - and how do you like those open flowers! The curling of the pedals are so charming. The bees do not have a problem pollinating these narrow long flowers as the nectar flow down and the pollen is also right at the opening of the flowers. The stigma will appear after the pollen is gone, most aloes are not self-fertile.

This is a lovely hybrid of Aloe petricola X Aloe speciosa. Aloe speciosa is obvious in the flowers and buds and Aloe petricola is prominent in the size and shape of the plant. A. petricola is not quite 50 cm high and Aloe speciosa is a tree aloe reaching 3 meter easy. This hybrid plant is just under 50 cm.

The many flower buds of Aloe speciosa are packed so tight that the raceme with buds feels as hard as a rock. Compare the buds of this aloe with the hybrid above - The buds are much alike but Aloe speciosa buds are very dense. The raceme with flowers on the photo right is 40 cm long - the same size as the hybrid plant (without inflorescens) above.

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What is the meaning of the word "cola" - The lovers of the drink need not answer.

It means "inhabiting or dweller ". petri (from petros) = rock + cola means rocks/stones dweller.

There is also an Aloe arenicola which grows on the west coast and it is a sand dweller.

but it is a bud...
It is obvious that the Aloe species differ a lot in the shape of the leaves, rosette
and flowers but the buds are also different. The best way to identify an aloe is by the flowers as the leaves and rosette will change shape and color depending on whether they grow in shade, sun or drought but the flowers remain the same. The buds are not taken into account mainly because they change in shape and color nearly on a daily basis and the flowers are so much easier to identify. It can be interesting to watch the change and to note the differences in the buds of the aloes species and hybrids.

Aloe cryptopoda. The bracts give a prickly effect. The buds point upward and as they grow they tip over and color yellow when the flowers open. Then after pollination they tip upwards again. All the different stages are easy to see on the photo.

Aloe gerstneri. The buds hang down from the start and lift slightly as the flowers grow and ripen. The shading of the buds to flowers are lovely. The seedpods point upwards. I can not remember seeing seedpods that hang down.

Aloe glauca is another one of the few aloes with "fluffy" bracts.
The buds point upwards and the floers tip over to point down in a one-by-one fashion. The flowers seem spaced far apart but they are large which does not show on the photo - Prettier in real life. The teeth on this aloe are very sharp.

Aloe nuwerus. A lovely hybrid. The inflorescens branch with the racemes near to each other. This gives a nice show. The bracts over the very young buds look like fish scales. The flowers do not shade much. It is already obvious looking at the bracts on the young buds that the flowers will be many and tightly packed on the raceme.

I will write another blog with a few more buds, one blog will load too long.

grass-aloes are rarely seen.
- The name grass-aloe fits the appearance of these aloes and camouflage them well where they grow in the grassveld. Few people take notice of them unless they are in bloom. The aloes are well adjusted to survive in their habitat. A grassveld is set on fire by lightning during thunder storms on a regular basis but the grass-aloes survive as the short stem and the top part of the roots are filled with water.
Aloe verecunda - photo below - is typical for a grass-aloe. The plant rosette (above the stem) is roughly 30-40 cm high (just over 12 inches) but some side leaves will be longer. It does not make a very long inflorescens with a short flower raceme very much like Aloe boylei on the photo further down.

Aloe boylei - photo below - is a larger grass-aloe with broader leaves than A.verecunda above. Not much higher, the rosette is about 40cm - 50cm high, but the leaves are broader making it a larger plant. The plants on the photo are still young, in time it will also develop a short trunk where the previous leaves were attached. Aloe boylei looses the leaves in winter where the climate is cold, making this an aloe which can be planted in cold climates.

I thought myself very lucky to get Aloe albida one of the rarer grass-aloes - photo below, showing size using my finger tip. This little aloe grows in crevices of one mountain range. It needs fire to keep the grass under controll as it can not compete with the larger grasses.

The rosette is maybe 10 cm high as the leaves do not stand up and it is a very small plant. The bright green leaves are covered in a waxy substance that protect them and give them a pale color. The leaves are less than one centimeter broad with tiny white teeth. See the photo below for the color of the rosette that is easier than words.

To be safe I kept Aloe albida in the pot where it was growing fine when I bought it.
The little aloe never looked back. I stopped fussing over it and Aloe albida often became completely dry before I realized it should be watered. Like most aloes it did not complain or wilt when it was dry. As A. albida has now overgrown the pot and the plastic is disintegrating I will have to replant it. I am going to plant one half in the garden and the rest in another container. I do not have seeds as I have only one plant with offsets and (most)aloes do not self-pollinate.

Up to now Aloe albida grew outside in our dry hot summer but in the shade with plenty mist and rain in winter. The opposite of the habitat of this aloe which is summer rain with mist in the mountains.

Most if not all grass-aloes like shade. It would look nice to plant a small patch of grass with the aloes growing in the grass, but I am still thinking on that. The patch of grass would have to be where the grass can not spread and most grasses die here in summer, but maybe not if I plant them in shade. The dead grass would also look good, sort of natural - I am thinking on that.

...... and now a beautiful grass-aloe hybrid.

We bought the young plants as Aloe vossii which is a critically rare aloe. The plants grew too well and was soon way larger than it ought to be. We then knew that this must be a hybrid even though the description of the leaves fitted Aloe vossii.

Then when it bloomed with a branched inflorescens the secret was out - this is a hybrid for sure.

We like our two miss-named aloes. The plants give a nice show and require no care with very little water.

The color of the flowers from the hybrid resemble the grass aloe A.cooperii. Could be a hybrid from a hybrid? Oh-well give it a name and make a new cultivar.

With all these grass aloes in a grass patch (different grasses), just think how the birds will enjoy it. Seeds followed by sweet nectar.