Aloe glauca

Aloe glauca var. elatior, Aloe glauca var. humilior, Aloe glauca var. major, Aloe glauca var. minor, Aloe perfoliata var. kappa, Aloe glauca var. muricata, Aloe glauca var. spinosior, Aloe muricata, Aloe perfoliata var. glauca, Aloe rhodacantha

Blue Aloe

Aloeaceae

South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland.

1 Gallon

up to 36"

up to 18"

25 to 30°F; -3.9 to -1.1°C

Very high

Full sun to light shade in warm sunny interior climates.

Very drought tolerant

Remove spent flower stalks as desired.

Rock, succulent and cactus gardens. Silvery-blue foliage provides a lovely contrast to darker colored leaves. This plant's flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies and birds. A. glauca grows well in containers. But it requires good drainage wherever it is planted.

Replant offsets and collect seeds after flowering.

Aloe glauca is a smaller species of aloe with blue gray leaves that blush pink in full sun or times of stress. The leaves are 8-12" long tapering to a point. The fleshy leaves have small teeth on their margins. They grow in rosettes with offsets close to the mother plant thus creating a mound. The Blue Aloe flowers year-round (heaviest bloom in winter) with bright, red-orange blossoms. The term “glauca” refers to the milky blue-green color of the leaves. On close examination, it can be seen that these are also striped with many narrow lengthwise lines like its close relative Aloe lineata. The flowers of the two species, usually red to salmon-orange in color, are nearly identical. In both, the flower spike is never branched. It is a protected species in its native habitat. Like Aloe vera, the fleshy leaves contain a gel that can be used raw from the plant on such injuries as scrapes, cuts and burns. It has natural anti-bacterial properties and also helps reduce swelling. The gel is used in a variety of skin care products, skin ointments and beauty products as well.