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Aloe lineata var. muirii (Muir's Striped Aloe) - A medium-sized clustering species that for many years forms tight 1-foot-wide rosettes close to the ground but with time develops a short trunk to 4 to 8 feet tall. The yellow green leaves have red longitudinal lines on both upper and lower leaf surfaces and along the margins that also bear prominent red teeth - in strong light the red lines seem to bleed into the green giving the leaves a brownish hue. In late winter to late spring arise the showy salmon-orange flowers on multiple, up to four, unbranched stems from each rosette. The tight inflorescence has large fleshy bracts that hide the developing flower buds, which emerge and then hang downwards.
Plant in full sun and irrigate occasionally to very little. This plant's native habitat can get some summer rainfall and plants seem tolerant of both drier conditions and regular summer irrigation. Its cold hardiness has not been well documented, but it survived undamaged in the January 2007 freeze here when we had three nights down to 25° F and the species Aloe lineata (var. lineata) has proved hardy to around 20° F during the 1990 freeze as documented by its survival that year at the Ruth Bancroft Garden and likely variety muirii has similar hardiness. Aloe lineata is very similar to some forms of Aloe glauca and some consider that the two species be combined.
The native habitat of this aloe is in the Western Cape, from Ladismith to George where it grows mostly in the winter rainfall region of the Little Karoo. The name Aloe comes from ancient Greek name aloe that was derived from the Arabian word 'alloch' that was used to describe the plant or its juice that was used as medicine. Thes specific epithet comes from the Latin word 'lineatus' which describes the distinctive longitudinal lines on the leaves. The varietal epithet honors Dr John Muir (1874–1947), a Scottish plant collector, who discovered many new species of South African flora. This variety resembles Aloe lineata var. lineata, but differs in having yellowish green leaves with more distinct red lines, smaller marginal spines and flowers in spring while var. lineata flowers in the fall. We have grown and sold this nice aloe since 2008.
Our stock plants were grown from seed given to us by Brian Kemble of the Ruth Bancroft Garden that had been collected in 2005 at Herold, a hamlet in the George Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
This information about Aloe lineata var. muirii 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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