Aloe heliderana

Aloe heliderana

Family: Aloaceae

Plants caulescent, shrubby, branching from the base; stems to 100 cm tall, erect. Leaves about 20, about 25 cm long, 6 cm wide, grey-green with a violet tinge, variously white-spotted; margins toothed; teeth about 2 mm long, 5-10 mm aparat, hard, white.  Inflorescences to 60 cm tall, spreadingly branched, flowers in subcapitate racemose clusters 5-8 cm long, widely spaced; bracts 3-5 mm long, 2 mm wide; pedicels about 7 mm long.  Flowers usually yellow, rarely red, nutant to subsecund; perianth 20-22 mm long, 6 mm wide across the ovary, outer tepals free for 5-7 mm; anthers exserted about 5 mm; ovary about 4 mm long, 2 mm wide.

Sowing instructions: Seeds germinate very well but may damp off if overwatered. Use a mixture of river sand, compost and soil to sow seeds in. Sprinkle the seeds evenly on the surface and cover with a layer of small pebbles. The pebbles help the seedlings to stay upright and prevent damping off. Keep seed tray in a dry warm corner and do not allow to dry out. Transplant the seedlings after one year.

Locality: Helid, Somalia. Harvest: February 2025