Aloe maculata
11th July 2014
An impressive foliage Aloe that raises a couple of questions. The simplest is that it arrived marked A. saponaria which is an old synonym, easily corrected.
It forms compact rosettes of spotted leaves which raises a second issue. Mine is not compact. The species hybridises easily and I think mine is probably
an accidental hybrid raised from seed. I has certainly grown with vigour (though the species is variable, so nothing is certain).
The species occurs throughout the Cape Peninsula, generally preferring the milder coastal climate but also growing in the Drakensberg and as far north as Zimbabwe.