Blooming Aloes at the UCI Arboretum

Aloes blooming Saturday at the UCI Arboretum.  Their marlothii is better than my marlothii.
Aloe marlothii

Aloe plicatilis apparently fell over since my last visit.  It now has a big rock to lean on.  Looks happy.
I start close up...
Aloe plicatilis

...and pull back:

Aloe plicatilis


Aloe plicatilis


Look carefully and you can see the rock supporting it:
Aloe plicatilis
Aloe petricola has dramatic two-tone flowers.  As they prepare to open they turn a greenish ivory:
Aloe petricola


Aloe petricola, At UCI Arboretum


Aloe wickensii starts red and yellows up, and always seems to be suffering through a Bad Hair Day:
Aloe wickensii


Aloe chabaudii has intensely coral-red flowers:
Aloe chabaudii


So does this larger Aloe.  It had no tag, unfortunately.  A late ferox?
Aloe species unknown


Aloe ramosissisma was finished blooming.  This Aloe gets quite large before it begins to flower.
Aloe ramosissima
It was about 4.5' tall and 8' wide (1.4 M x 2.4M)
Aloe ramosissima


Aloe ferox was also finished blooming.  It had a few seeds:
Aloe ferox seeds

Aloe vanbalenii was still at it.  It has formed a huge clump.  This is about one-third of the clump:
Aloe vanbalenii


The plant sale was okay.  I was hoping for an Aloe buhrii...
Aloe buhrii

or broomii (right), or wickensii (left):
Aloe broomii (right)& wickensii (left)


but no such luck.  A Xerosicyos danguyi would have been awesome:
Xerosicyos danguyi


Or a Brunsvigia josephinae:
Brunsvigia josephinae


But no luck there, either.


 We got an Aloe thraskii, a variegated Kalenchoe tomentosa, and Arctotis 'Burgundy'.
Arctotis 'Burgundy'


Other plants besides Aloes were blooming.  This Ceanothus looked glorious:
Ceonothus


Many of the South African bulbs were blooming as well:
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I've seen Cussonia paniculata mentioned on more than one blog in the past year or so.  UCI's was looking dandy:
Cussonia paniculata

Several Melianthus were producing fresh new foliage and flower stems:
Melianthus


Melianthus


It's not the Huntington by any means, but they do have a Boojum:
Boojum Tree


And the plant sale is a lot less of a madhouse.
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We got home to find Cuddles very, very busy taking a nap.  Enjoy it, honey.  The puppies will be here tomorrow.  If you want a nap, you are going to have to hide somewhere to get one!


Nap


Comments

  1. What an interesting post! You have so many great and different aloes, they are awesome! I love that one photo of the South African bulb, just gorgeous!

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  2. Another great look at these plants -- I'm still amazed at the different growth habits!

    In the photos of Aloe plicatilis there is a plant sitting on a mound of its dead leaves -- is that forming a trunk (like Yucca)? Looks a bit messy.

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  3. @Nancy, thanks! Too bad I missed the flower on that bulb, it's quite something. The foliage is quite attractive, though.

    @Alan, that's an Aloe I could not ID in the background. Those Aloes are grown without irrigation, so they are very dry. The dead leaves on Aloes do look a little messy, but after a while you appreciate them. They perform two functions for the plant: they support the stem as it lengthens over time, and they protect the stem from hot sun and critters.

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  4. I bet the excitement is mounting in regards to the pups coming.

    Nice tour.

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  5. They are most beautiful when you do them in close-up. Do Aloes grow well in tropical climates without winter?We have an Aloe vera, the very common one, but it doesn't grow well.

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  6. @greggo, you are right!

    @Andrea, Most of them like low humidity, but there are possibly a few that might do well, those from more humid parts of central Africa, or from eastern South Africa where there is quite a bit of rain.

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