Aloe 'Yellow Torch' (Yellow Torch Aloe) - A shrubby succulent to 6 feet tall by 8 feet wide with upwardly inclined foot long gray-green leaves and torch-like clusters of yellow flowers that rise above the leaf rosettes in late fall through late winter.
Plant in full sun along the coast to light shade inland in a well-drained soil and irrigate infrequently to not at all in coastal gardens. Drought tolerant. A nice cultivar that is similar to Aloe arborescens 'Lutea' but with leaves that are straight and not recurved and does not get the leaf spotting occasionally seen on the Aloe arborescens cultivar. Should be as hardy as Aloe arborescens, which tolerates cold temperatures down to at least 22 ° F and recovers from short durations freezes below 20° F. We did not have any damage on this plant in the January 2007 freeze with three nightly temperatures dropped to 25° F.
Aloe 'Yellow Torch' is presumed to be an Aloe arborescens hybrid as it has similar foliage flowers to this species, but leaves are shorter and less recurved. We received this plant unnamed from a landscaper working on a Santa Barbara garden where this plant was growing and have sold it since 1997. Brian Kemble, Aloe expert and curator of plants at the Ruth Bancroft Garden commented to us that he believed that this was a yellow variant of Aloe arborescens and not a hybrid. It also looks very much like a plant photographed by Duke Benadom that is identified as Aloe mutabilis in "Aloes: The Definitive Guide" by Susan Carter, John Lavranos, Len Newton and Colin Walker (Kew Publishing, 2011). Aloe mutabilis is closely related and sometimes included with Aloe arborescens as A. arborescens ssp. mutabilis.
The information about Aloe 'Yellow Torch' displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |