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| Category: Succulent |
| Family: Aloeaceae (now Asphodeloideae) |
| Origin: South Africa (Africa) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Variegated Foliage: Yes |
| Flower Color: Orange Red |
| Bloomtime: Summer/Fall |
| Synonyms: [A. zebrina] |
| Height: 1 foot |
| Width: 2-3 feet |
| Exposure: Sun or Shade |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F |
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Aloe lettyae - One of the maculate (spotted) aloes, this species is solitary and trunkless with rosettes of up to twenty, 18 inch long lanceolate leaves. The deep green leaves have a long tapering tip, margins with small brownish teeth and both the upper and lower leaf surfaces have dull white dash-like spots. In late summer into fall appear the 5 to 6 foot tall inflorescences with 8 to 12 uprightly-inclined and gracefully-curved branches that hold the unique deep orange flowers that have rounded bulbous bases with the tips of the petals (tepals) flaring and greenish. Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil and irrigate regularly to occasionally. Hardy to around 25° F and flowering before frost so useful in colder California gardens where late fall and winter flowering species are more risky. Though easy to grow, Aloe lettyae is rarely seen in cultivation and in its native habitat is restricted to a relatively small area at around 3300 feet in elevation in the remaining grasslands of the foothills in George's Valley near the Wolkberg Wilderness east of Polkwane (previously known as Pietersburg) in the Limpopo Province (previously known as the Northern Province) of South Africa. This area, just to the west of the famous Kruger National Park, has relatively high-rainfall and granitic soils. Aloe lettyae is often synonymized with Aloe zebrina Baker but in the Aloes: The Definitive Guide by Susan Carter, John Lavranos, Len Newton and Colin Walker (Kew Publishing, 2011) this plant is listed as a valid species with the note that "the unusual global shape of the basal swelling [of the flowers] easily distinguishes this plant from other maculate aloes. The lush leaves with rather indistinct spotting distinguishes it from its closest relative, A. zebrina." Ben-Erik Van Wyk and Gideon Smith in Guide to the Aloes of South Africa (Briza 1996) also add in their listing for this species "inflorescence branches have distinctly rounded curves, a characteristic not encountered in any other spotted aloe". This aloe was named by Gilbert W. Reynolds in 1937 to honor Cynthia Lindenberg Letty (1895-1985) a well-known South African botanical artist. Letty was British born and moved to Natal with her family as a child. Though having no formal training she was taught to paint by her mother and worked with Dr.I.B. Pole Evans in the National Herbarium and began paintings of plants for the journal "Flowering Plants of Africa" and was regarded as the leading botanical artist in South Africa in her time. Our plants from seed collected at George's Valley.
This information about Aloe lettyae 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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