Aloe spicata

Aloe spicata (Bottle-brush Aloe) is a large-growing aloe that grows a trunk to 4 to 6 feet tall and can be solitary but can also clustering with up to few 3 foot-wide rosettes of long gracefully recurved and relatively narrow leaves that gradually taper to a point. These leaves are deeply guttered on the upper surface and are a bright green color attractively infused with orange-pink to red tones, particularly near the margins, which also have small firm teeth. In mid-to-late-winter non-branching 3 foot long flower spikes emerge, 3 to 5 to a rosette, with dense yellow-green flowers which appear yellow-orange due to their orange prominent stamens.

Aloe spicata should be planted in full sun to light shade in a well-drained soil and irrigated sparely.The drier it is kept the redder Aloe spicata will be. Its name derives from its spike-shaped flowers. Aloe spicata is well-known for its neat habit, and low-maintenance.

Aloe spicata is hardy to about 25 °F. This tree aloe works well for hillside plantings. Its native habitat is steep slopes from sea level to over one mile in altitude in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and South Africa.