Aloes at UC Botanical Garden, Berkeley

Last Thursday, I went to the first public sale of the year at UC Botanical Garden’s Landscape Cacti and Succulents Nursery. I used this opportunity for a quick walk through the South African Collection. As expected, quite a few aloes were in bloom.

To me, flowers are the icing on the cake when it come to aloes. Most aloes have such beautiful leaves that they are attractive year round, especially the species whose leaves take on pink, purple or red hues in the full sun.

Southern African Collection

The beautiful aloe in the foreground was labeled “Aloe sp.” Most likely it’s a hybrid whose lineage cannot be traced accurately.

Aloe sp.

Aloe sp. with person for size

Aloe sp.

Aloe sp. Note the yellow bush on the right.

I took a closer look. It’s a Leucadendron tinctum.

Fan aloe (Aloe plicatilis)

Fan aloe (Aloe plicatilis). I saw some flower spikes emerging, and I expect it to be in full bloom in another six weeks.

Fan aloe (Aloe plicatilis)

Juvenile Aloe marlothii (not yet blooming size)

Aloe speciosa

Aloe speciosa

 

LEFT: Aloe speciosa  RIGHT: Aloe castanea

Aloe castanea

 

LEFT: Aloe framesii   RIGHT: Aloe chabaudii

I couldn’t find a label for this stunning spotted aloe

Aloe ukambensis

 

Labeled Aloe cameronii, this is the form with straighter, more upright leaves. The specimen I bought has the floppier leaves I prefer.

Aloe capitata var. quartziticola, still one of my favorite aloe species

Aloe capitata var. quartziticola

Aloe capitata var. quartziticola

Aloe capitata var. quartziticola

Aloe arborescens

Aloe arborescens leaf close up

Aloe striata

Aloe striata. Here you can clearly see the salmon-colored leaf edge that makes this species so attractive.

Aloe aculeata. The coloration is very striking.

The same is true for Aloe brevifolia. I have no idea why I don’t have this aloe in my garden. It’s small and easy to tuck in between larger plants.

Aloe brevifolia

Aloe brevifolia var. postgenita

Spiral aloe (Aloe polyphylla), always a favorite. I love how this specimen seems to be growing out of the rocks.

Spiral aloe (Aloe polyphylla)

 Spiral aloe (Aloe polyphylla)

I hope you enjoyed this visit to the UC Botanical Garden. Up next: aloes at the Ruth Bancroft Garden. I did a tour with curator Brian Kemble yesterday and managed to take quite a few interesting photos—some pretty, others showing the damage from the early December freeze.

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