Aloe Species, Spotted Aloe, Dwarf Soap Aloe

I ordered this plant from mail order just because of the name. Turned out to be a sort of ordinary looking striped aloe with tall flower...Read More stalks that bloom in the winter (still awaiting the flower opening to see what color they'll be). There have to be about 20 species of aloe that look just like this. Has some more pronounced and sharper spines along the leaf margins than most though this also a common finding among the spotted South African aloes. And also like most of the ses spotted SA aloes, the leaf tips tend to shrivel in low water in summers... making them less than ornamental. However, some water and/or some protection form the sun keeps this from happening.

Some are lumping Aloe barbertoniae as this species.. I think it looks very different, but then there are several forms of this species, and supposedly a LOT of variation in nature. Hard to tell this plant from many of the other maculate aloes, especially since it seems to be a variable species itself.

I have several synonyms growing in the garden and some are very fast growers, taking only 3 years from a small seedling to get up to 2' in diameter and flowering.