Candelabra Aloe, Torch Aloe

This decorative aloe is armed with many sharp, dense teeth along its margins. It is an upright plant with dark green foliage growing four to six feet tall with an equal spread. This aloe can be kept as a low rambler or trained to grow taller. The plant produces a bright, orangey-red bloom on an un-branched stem in late winter or early spring and then again from late spring through early summer. Historically, in parts of northern Africa, natives used the dry leaves to create a powder. The substance was used as protection against storms, during childbirth, or for stomach ailments. In parts of South Africa, this plant is still used as a living fence to secure domestic animals. Use it as an ornamental in low-water-use gardens, or mix with other drought-resistant aloe species as a desert accent. Also plant it in containers and raised planters with other succulents, or use it as a bank cover in warmer, protected areas. This plant grows natively along cliffs and ridges along the Cape Peninsula in parts of northern Africa from sea level to mountain peaks, as well as in dense bush.