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Aloe antandroi (Antandroi Aloe) - A small, slow-growing, shrubby plant that branches at or near its base with thin stems 2 to 3 feet long holding very thin 4- to 6-inch-long gray-brown leaves prominently spotted with white. The small, green-tipped orange flowers on top of unbranched inflorescences appear above the leaves in mid-fall. This interesting plant has stems that clamber upwards on surrounding plants or other objects but without support will lay more prostrate.
Plant in full coastal sun to light shade. Hardy to around 25 °F. May grow better inland with some shade. Not a showy plant but an interesting wiry aloe with its distinctive very thin spotted leaves and sprawling form - sure to attract attention in the right location.
This plant comes from 150 to 650 feet in elevation on dry limestone rocks and rubble on the Mahafaly Plateau in southern and southwest Madagascar. It was first described in 1921 by the French financial administrator and botanist Raymond Decary (1891-1973) as Gasteria antandroi, though it is noted in "Aloes: The Definitive Guide" as not having any resemblance to any species in this genus [Gasteria] and is compared to having a similar habit to the more common South African species Aloe tenuior but with flowers closer to Aloe millotii and Aloe decaryi. The specific epithet comes from this plant's occurrence at Antandroi or on the territory of the Antandroi tribe. Our plants originally from the Institute of Aloe Studies (IAS09-033) in 2009.
This information about Aloe antandroi displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate 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 that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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