Aloe vaotsanda
Category: Single Head Tree Aloes
USDA Hardiness Zones: 9b - 11
Overview
Perhaps the most handsome Aloe, this solitary, non-branching Madagascan tree aloe is set apart primarily by its unique flowers on long, tapering, bendable leaves. The channeled glaucous leaves tend to grow straight out or down, and then curl inward at the ends much like an Octopus.Description
Aloe vaotsanda are very attractive with exceptionally long, drooping leaves with a unique way of dragging along the ground as though it were some floating octopus. Like many Madagascan aloes, this species tends to be quite colorful under stress (winter conditions) showing a lot of maroon in its leaves. The Leaves of Aloe vaotsanda remain on stem creating a skirt of dead leaves. Leaf margins armed with rather soft but large whitish sometimes slight hooked teeth. Though rare in cultivation, recently these plants have become much more available. Grows up to 12 feet tall but rather slower to get there than Aloe vaombe.
Flowering
In winter the flowers of Aloe vaotsanda are deep red and very small on a multibranched inflorescence that points in all directions (not upright as the norm for most aloes). Flowers turn from red to yellow briefly as they open, but then the quickly curl back their petals and die, leaving only 1-3 yellow flowers at a time.Origin / History
This imposing Madagascan aloe not only sounds like A. vaombe but also shares several features with it as well. Both form large solitary rosettes up to 1.5 m across of recurved leaves atop a trunk reaching 4 m or more. In fact, the two are so similar as to be indistinguishable when not in flower. In flower they are quite distinctive, the racemes of A. vaombe being erect, those of A. vaotsanda with an unusual drooping aspect in bud, then oblique at anthesis.
Care / Cultivation
Aloe vaotsanda is a full sun species and suffers greatly if grown in shade. Slow growing and needs best warm and well-drained position, or pot.Frost Tenderness
It is an attractive and rapidly becoming popular species in California but with only moderate cold tolerance (down to about 27F), showing significant leaf damage and complete flowering failure below that.Use in the Garden
With it's attractive and unique foliage, Aloe vaotsanda makes an excellent garden focal point.Read about more Aloes that can be used as a focal points in your garden.
Learn More
The information on this page about Aloe vaotsanda has been gathered and summarized from the sources below. Visit these pages to learn more.
- https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/62844/
- https://www.agaveville.org/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1739
- http://media.huntington.org/ISI/ISI2004/2004-14.html
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