Garden Aloes

Aloe striatula 'Burly'

Also Known As: Hardy aloe, Aloiampelos striatula, Aloe striatula

Category: Climbing Aloes

USDA Hardiness Zones: 9a - 11

Overview

Aloe striatula is a shrubby, branching and rambling species to 6 feet tall by at least this wide that naturally occurs on the summits of mountains which makes it one of South Africa's hardier aloes. It's dark green, decurving leaves are eventually topped with very showy red and yellow flower spikes in spring and summer continuing into fall.

Description

Colonies of Aloe striatula can grow to contain hundreds of rosettes, taking up a good 15 feet or more in all directions. Rosettes are made up of a long stem covered with leaves sometimes up to its entire length, and sometimes only at the very top depending on available water. Aloe striatula looks a lot like a slender form of Aloe arborescens with smaller rosettes of only barely recurved bright green leaves. The leaves of striatula are dark green and strongly recurved, with numerous small white teeth along their margins. Leaf sheaths are distinctly longitudinally green-lined which gave rise to the plant’s specific name of striatula. Leaves point upward, which makes it easy to tell from Aloe ciliaris, and leaves are relatively thick relative to a similar looking species, Aloe tenuior. Older leaves tend to shrivel up and persist on the lower stems as a dry, pale brown covering. This is a slender suckering aloe that forms clumps/hedges. One of the hardiest of aloes and relatives, it will tolerate a wide range of conditions, and is even known commonly as the 'hardy aloe'.

Flowering

The brilliant yellow inflorescence rises above the foliage typically in late spring into summer but we often have stray flowering at other times of the year. The flowers are yellowish-orange and appear densely on up to 16 inches (40 cm) tall, un-branched, cone-shaped racemes. One of the few flowers that can flower in zone 9a, as the flowers seem as resistant to the cold as the entire plant.

Origin / History

This species come from the Karoo to the Eastern Cape Province in South African and in the mountains of southern Lesotho. The name, striatula, comes from the characteristic stripes on the sheaths of the stems. The plant's Latin species epithet 'striatula' means 'little stripes', and refers to the thin dark-green stripes that can be seen on the plant's leaf sheaths. It is closely related to Cape Town's Aloiampelos commixta, but it is easily distinguished from it by the distinctive dark green stripes on the stems and leaf sheaths (its species name, striatula, means 'little stripes'), and by its thin, recurved leaves (which, like its flowers, are more densely packed). In the Eastern Cape it is often planted along the boundaries of kraals, as it naturally forms a well-shaped and hardy hedge. This aloe grows among rocks on mountain tops within the winter snow belt in one of the coldest parts of southern Africa. It occurs at altitudes from 500 m to 1500 m on rocky outcrops in grassland with extreme temperatures.

Discover more South African Aloes

Care / Cultivation

Plant in full sun and occasional water during hot weather. It will tolerate much colder temperatures than most aloes and relatives, including frost and even some light snow, but it prefers full sun and well-drained soil. Of all the Aloes touted as cold-hardy, this is the one that actually is, and won't give you any trouble about winter moisture or drainage or any of those other bothersome trivialities that frequently afflict hardy succulents. This aloe also seems to be particularly fond of water all year round. Like other climbing aloes, it can easily be propagated by cuttings(truncheons) as well as by seed. It is essential that this spectacular plant with rosettes of deep green leaves have exceptional drainage. In Zone 7b, you will need to provide great drainage and protect the foliage from excess winter moisture to avoid slight foliage burn or rot (we planted ours under the eaves of the house) but either a cloth or upside down pot would do the trick.

Frost Tenderness

This plant is remarkable in that it is hardy to 15 degrees F. or even a little lower. The smaller form of this Aloe is being grown into zone 7 by those who like to push the limits of plant hardiness as it is thought to be one of the hardier of the shrub aloes. One of the cold hardiest of all Aloes, this shrubby form has been known to take very cold temperatures by dying to the ground and actually re-sprouting from the base.

Use in the Garden

This drought tolerant plant is truly a must have for any subtropical, Mediterranean or desert-themed garden. Spectacular plant that is also excellent in a container. Aloe striatula 'Burly' makes a good living fence or background plant.

Find more Aloes that grow to create a "Living Fence"

Learn More

The information on this page about Aloe striatula 'Burly' has been gathered and summarized from the sources below. Visit these pages to learn more.

Aloe striatula 'Burly' for sale

Buy Aloe striatula 'Burly' for your garden.

Back to all Aloes