About
Aloe perfoliata is a succulent that forms rosettes, featuring thick, spiny leaves that are typically mid-green. Under stress, these leaves may take on reddish hues. In winter, established plants can produce clusters of tubular red flowers on erect stems. While they can grow several meters long in tropical environments, they generally reach a height of about 50 cm when cultivated indoors, with leaves measuring up to 45 cm in length.
About the genus
Aloe consists of evergreen perennials that can grow as mat-forming or shrubby plants. They feature rosettes of thick, fleshy leaves and produce small tubular flowers arranged in racemes or panicles.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Loam
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H1C
Plant details
- Plant type
- Cactus Succulent, Houseplants
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 5-10 years
- Suggested uses
- Houseplants, Sub-tropical
- Native to
- South Africa (Cape)
- Toxicity
- Human/Pets (dogs, cats, rabbits): Harmful if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow indoors in a container of peat-free, cacti potting compost, or peat-free, loam-based potting compost with added horticultural grit. Water moderately when in growth, very sparingly when dormant in winter. Apply a general liquid fertiliser monthly from May to August. Can be placed outdoors in summer, see aloe cultivation for further advice
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed as soon as ripe, or propagate by separating offsets in spring or early summer. Root offsets in cactus potting compost
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to scale insects and mealybugs
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free