Aloe glauca |
Asphodelaceae |
Aloe glauca is not easily mistaken for another aloe species, it is distinguished from other aloes by it large greyish-blue leaves. Aloe glauca varies quite a bit throughout it distribution area but there is only one variety, Aloe glauca var. muricata. This variety has greener and more spreading leaves with the lower leaf surfaces being tuberculate and the leaf margins teeth are more reddish in colour.
Aloe glauca get's its specie name from the greyish-blue colour of its leaves. 'Glauca' means grey. |
| Common Names: |
Blouaalwayn, which literally means Blue Aloe when translated. |
| Status: |
Not threatened. |
| Distribution: |
Aloe glauca can be found on rocky hills and mountain slopes. It prefers the drier parts of the south-western Cape. From Swellendam in the south to Laingsburg in the north and steinkopf in the Namaqualand. |
| Description of Aloe glauca: |
| Stem: |
Stems are very short to non-existent. |
| Leaves: |
Leaves are a greyish-blue colour with faint longitudinal lines, up to 400mm in length. Leaf surfaces are smooth with fine thorns near the tip of the leaf, no marks are present on the leaves. Leaf margins are armed with reddish-brown teeth. |
Flower Description : |
| Inflorescence: |
Inflorescence is simple, cone shaped, up to three inflorescences are borne on a single rosette. |
| Flower: |
Flowers can be pink to pale orange in colour. Buds on the raceme point upwards while the open flowers become pendulous. |
| Flowering Time: |
Aloe glauca flowers from August through to Otober. |
Cultivation of Aloe glauca: |
| Light: |
Full sun. |
| Watering: |
Careful watering. |
| Frost Protection: |
Required. |
| Notes: |
Aloe glauca is a difficult aloe to grow well in cultivation, especially in summer rainfall areas. |
Picture: Please contact me if you have images I can use. |
