Aloe affinis

#1

Solitary spotted to only somewhat spotted (or even non-spotted… and if you believe some sources that Aloe immaculata, (listed here separately) is the same species... which I think it is NOT), stemless to very short-stemmed South African plant. Has red flowers in winter (early to mid- one of the earliest flowering aloes in my garden in winter) and very sharp, dangerous teeth along the leaf margins. This is one of those plants that seems so variable that it is really hard for me to make a certain identification when plants labeled as this are presented to me… 'maybe' is the best I can do if they sort of fit the description…. if you continue on and read all the descriptions of the South African spotted aloes in this gallery, you will quickly gather that identifying this group of plants accurately from cultivated specimens halfway across the world is a pretty frustrating and often futile task. Better to be in South Africa at the time, finding the plant in nature, and based on WHERE you find it, that might be the best way to determine what it is exactly.