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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Aloeaceae (Aloes) |
| Origin: South Africa (Africa) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Bloomtime: Not Significant |
| Synonyms: [A. 'Blind Alley', A. 'Blind as a Bat'] |
| Parentage: (Aloe kedongensis) |
| Height: <1 foot |
| Width: 2-3 feet |
| Exposure: Sun or Shade |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
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Aloe 'Magoo' - A low growing aloe that forms a tight ground hugging clump to 10 inches tall and spreading slowly with many small, 2 to 3 inch wide, tight rosettes of lightly spotted and toothed margined green leaves. This selection does not flower and instead, aborted inflorescences sprout new rosettes of leaves. Plant in full sun to light shade in a well drained soil and irrigated occasionally to rarely. Plants that have shoots that emerge as an inflorescence but lack flowers are sometimes called “blind shoots” and were the inspiration for the name 'Magoo' given to this plant created by aloe breeder John Bleck in the late 1970’s. At the time Mr. Bleck was breeding for small flowering plants suitable for indoor windowsill use so this plant was necessarily discarded from his breeding program. It had attractive foliage however so it found a place in a corner of his garden, where it has flourished for over 20 years. In 2007 Mr. Bleck shared this plant with us and discussed possible names, including "Blind Alley" and "Blind as a Bat" but settled on 'Magoo', a reference to the famous seemingly nearly blind cartoon character Mr. Magoo created by United Productions of America (UPA) and voiced by Jim Backus. Unfortunately the parentage for 'Magoo' was not kept though speculation is that it included (Aloe kedongensis).
The description above is based on our research and observations of this plant growing in our nursery and in our own and other Santa Barbara gardens. We would appreciate hearing from anyone who has additional information or disagrees with what we have written.
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