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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Aloeaceae (now Asphodeloideae) |
| Origin: Socotra Island (Indian Ocean- Yemen) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Red & Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Winter/Summer |
| Height: <1 foot |
| Width: <1 foot |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F |
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Aloe forbesii - A small multi-stemmed aloe with short decumbent stems holding rosettes of 6 inch long blue-green leaves that have pale closely spaced small teeth along the leaf margins and that blush reddish brown and curl inward in dry conditions. In winter through spring into summer appear the foot long, unbranched or few branched horizontal inflorescences of bicolored flowers that are orange-red and green in bud and becoming more yellow near the flower tips by the time the flowers fully open. Plant in full to part sun in a well drained soil and irrigate infrequently. Has noted to be cold hardy to around 25° F. This is a prolific and easy to grow aloe that is fairly rare in cultivation and works well in a well-drained spot in the garden or as a hanging pot where stems and flowers hang out over the edge of the container. It is native to native to the island of Socotra, Yemen where it grows on crevices and ledges of rock outcrops in the Haggeher Mountains at an elevation of around 3,000 feet. It is considered to be amongst the smallest of the Arabian aloes that are currently recognized. The plant was discovered in the last years of the 19th century by a Royal Society of London expedition to the islands of Socotra and Abd al Kuri that was led by Henry Forbes and William Robert Ogilvie-Grant. Forbes published "The Natural History of Sokotra and Abd-El-Kuri" in 1903 with plant descriptions described by Isaac Bayley Balfour of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh that included this species that Balfour named for Henry Forbes. Other authors later synonymized the species with Aloe perryi but it was returned to specific level in 2011 with Susan Carter's treatment of the Socotran aloes in Aloes; The Definitive Guide. We thank John Miller of the Institute for Aloe Studies for providing up with our initial stock plants of this tidy and attractive small aloe.
This information about Aloe forbesii 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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