Aloe question

YumAz · Post by **YumAz** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:20 am

Mostly just a terminology question, is the aloe on the left exhibiting dichotomous growth? I don't have an ID on either yet so if you recognize them, feel free to comment.

tks

Buck Hemenway · Post by **Buck Hemenway** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 1:33 am

Yumaz,

I don't see the new head on the plant on the left. That's just a new leaf and that's where the new growth comes from. They are very difficult at the stage you have them, but here's my guess. The one on the left looks a lot like several that we grow. It will probably be a pretty large plant in maturity. Could be A. ferox, marlothii or a number of others. The one on the right looks like a little A. broomii.

YumAz · Post by **YumAz** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 9:38 am

Thanks Buck
I think you're right about the A. broomii. I know that the growth pattern on the other Aloe will change, but I wanted to know what that stage was called. I found this;

The term "foliar dichotomy" will be used here to refer not only to dichotomously lobed or divided leaves, but also to those with blades that are simple or nearly so, in which dichotomous organization is indicated by over-all vein pattern.
excerpt
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-9 ... size=LARGE

Maybe the term I was looking for is distichous,

Having leaves in two ranks/planes only. Basically, as each leaf develops from the central point, it overlaps a previous leaf on the same or opposite side, giving the plant a 'flattened' appearance. Many aloes and a few palms are distichous, and probably many other plants as well. An example of an aloe that, at least as a seedling, is distichous is Aloe suprafoliata, which is named after this characteristic (leaves stacked on top of each other). Later, as this species ages, the leaves start to spread out in a more typical rosette and is no longer distichous. A distichous palm example is Wallichia distichia (obviously named for this characteristic).. all the leaves of this palm are in two ranks giving the palm a sort of two dimensional appearance.
http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2903/

Buck Hemenway · Post by **Buck Hemenway** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 4:22 pm

Right, distichous, growing in one plane.

Dichototmous almost always means branching at the apical growing point to form mutilple branches, heads, etc.

Nearly all of the tree aloes grow in the distichous manner until they get a lot bigger that yours. Discovery will be interesting.

Buck Hemenway · Post by **Buck Hemenway** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:35 pm

These plants are very interesting. The A. suprafoliata listed in the article is also known as 'Mustache Aloe'. It discontinues its distichous growth after the first bloom (age 4 or 5). Aloe plicatilis on the other hand continues to grow in this manner always.

Aloe suprafoliata, Mustache Aloe

Aloe plicatilis

YumAz · Post by **YumAz** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 10:40 am

thanks for the info Buck,
Where is that A. plicatilis? In Riverside? Do you have a nursery there? All the aloes I've seen planted in direct sun around here look horrible, brownish red, twisted and shriveled, like death warmed over. My little aloe is turning a deep red around the base of the leaves, it's never been in direct sun, so I'm thinking maybe A. marlothii?

Buck Hemenway · Post by **Buck Hemenway** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 4:11 pm

Yumaz,

I live in Riverside and own a wholesale nursery here. We supply plants to a few local retail nurseries. The A. plicatilis is at the Jurupa Mountains Cultural Center in Riverside. One of the nicest specimens in this country.

I have a number of aloes in the ground in full sun here. Of course, we're not quite as hot as Yuma, but plants like Aloe malothii should do OK there. I waster my in ground succulents quite a bit. Depending on the soil, in the hottest months every 3 to 4 days. You might try a more frequent schedule.

Frankly, I find that aloes in general are more tolerant of extreme heat than a lot of cactus genera.

cactuspolecat · Post by **cactuspolecat** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:02 pm

Here's my small A. broomii

cactuspolecat · Post by **cactuspolecat** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:08 pm

A. broomii is one of my favourite Aloes, Here's my small one.
The first pic is when I first bought it, green and lush, second pic is after I introduced it to the sun in my G/H, (it is now somewhere between these colours)

CP

YumAz · Post by **YumAz** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 9:35 am

thanks Buck,
Do you supply the JMCC nursery with succulents? That looks like a pretty cool place. Not too much metro traffic.
http://www.jmcc.us/

CP that's a good looking Aloe, I like my aloes lush and green, my A. vera is planted under a lantana 'radiation'. I just don't have that much shade. The label on my A. ferox said full sun and I read that it could tolerate reflected light, so I put it in a place where it got full afternoon sun and the afternoon sun was reflected on it also, it was too much, I dug it up and potted it. It didn't kill it, but it's bleached white and the leaf tips are burned, it's so ugly I was too ashamed to put it in the album, but it's coming back. Maybe next summer it can be in the album.
Be Well

PS. Buck you wouldn't happen to know a source for 'spiral agave' would you? I'd like one of these,
http://best.berkeley.edu/~jhey03/img/ph ... 0agave.jpg

Buck Hemenway · Post by **Buck Hemenway** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 12:54 am

Yumaz,

Not in Yuma, I'm afraid. We can't keep them alive here. They grow beautifully in the San Francisco area.

You can try of course. They grow at around 3,000 feet elevation in Lesotho which is a small country within South Africa.

Buck Hemenway · Post by **Buck Hemenway** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 2:06 pm

Yumaz,

I just re-read your post. That is not an agave. it is Aloe polyphylla, Spiral Aloe. When I read it the first time, I just glossed over the agave word.

I worked at the Jurupa Mountains Cultural Center for 5 years and started the nursery there. They have an interesting selection of plants and are slowly getting their prices back in line.

nachtkrabb · Post by **nachtkrabb** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 10:23 pm

Hi, Cactuspolecat,
thank you for solving my riddle in passing, too: Now I know I have an Aloe broomii, too. Up to now nobody new, not even she herself...

Ruth

YumAz · Post by **YumAz** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 11:27 am

Thanks Buck, found alot more on it once I got the name. How disenchanting, no if it doesn't like the heat it will hate it here. Looks like you did a pretty good job while you were at JMCC. The price part I don't know, I think they are way overpriced on their ruby specimen. Looks like too many fractures for a gem quality and it doesn't show crystal form enough for a good specimen. Oh well I'm sure they'll find someone with more money than sense, no shortage of them in the good ol' USA.

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 2:57 pm

YumAz wrote:
PS. Buck you wouldn't happen to know a source for 'spiral agave' would you? I'd like one of these,
http://best.berkeley.edu/~jhey03/img/ph ... 0agave.jpg

Hey yumAz ,you still looking for a spiral aloe?
Check this out

http://www.ecotree.net/svs_nursery.shtml