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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Aloeaceae (now Asphodeloideae) |
| Origin: Somalia (Africa) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Variegated Foliage: Yes |
| Flower Color: Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Spring |
| Height: 2-3 feet |
| Width: 4-6 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F |
| May be Poisonous (More Info): Yes |
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Aloe hildebrandtii (Hildebrandt's Aloe) - A low growing sprawling shrub allow to 2 to 3 feet tall and growing a bit wider, branching at the base with sprawling stems to 4 feet long holding loose 1 foot wide rosettes of up to 20 leaves that are up to 1 foot long by an inch or a bit more wide and are a pale to medium green color with scattered white spots and sharp triangular reddish-brown teeth along the leaf margins. Primarily flowering from spring to early fall, large mature plants can seemingly be in bloom year round with nearly 2 foot long well branched inflorescences terminating in racemes of well-spaced cylindrical yellow flowers that are slightly swollen near the base and green tipped at the apex. The flowers have been likened to the look of small bananas. Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil. Only reliably hardy to around 26-27°F so best in near frost free locations but it is drought and heat tolerant even in the low desert. This is a good plant to have rambling over the edge of a raised planter, on a slope or mixed with other succulents in a large hanging basket. It is sometimes compared to Aloe arborescens, but it is a smaller plant that is longer and typically later blooming with yellow flowers and shorter but thicker leaves that are not recurved or noticeably toothed. Its leaves are also know to contain the poisonous compound dihydroisocoumarin glycoside. Aloe hildebrandtii comes from Somalia in east tropical Africa where it is primarily found along the highest portion of the in northern Somali escarpment from Ga'an Libah east to the Geldora Pass, growing at 4,000 to 6,000 feet in elevation, mainly on limestone soils with junipers, pistache and boxwoods. The specific epithet honors the German explorer Johann Maria Hildebrandt, whose explorations between 1872 and 1881 into the little known Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya interior, contributed much to the knowledge of this area. Hildebrandt had previously also worked as a gardener at the Berlin Botanical Garden. Our stock plants of this species are from the Institute of Aloe Studies received in 2018 as Aloe hildebrandtii 2018-15. The pictures on this page were taken of a plant growing on the grounds of Pitzer College in Claremont, California.
This information about Aloe hildebrandtii 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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