Aloe alexandrei

[Geoff]

Rare species of tree aloe from Madagascar. Pretty fast growing. Was originally in the genus Lomatophyllym (all which are now in Aloe). Only seen one which I had in my collection for several years until I rotted it in winter from overhead watering and lack of sunlight. One of the larger and more beautiful of the 'Lomatophyllum' type aloes, but like most of them, a bit tricky to grow in a marginal climate (most tend to be very cold sensitive and demand to handled carefully). Until recently, Lomatophyllum was a separate genus from Aloe, but has since been lumped into Aloe. All Lomatophyllum are from Madagascar or surrounding islands (as far as I know).

showing snail damage

Aloe alexandrei snail damage and color change 2-10.JPG (185.83 KiB) Viewed 5240 times

Aloe alexandrae 6-09 summer.JPG (180.9 KiB) Viewed 5240 times

[aldannyoe]

Awesome tree aloe. Grows on black lava rock so its been difficult to provide proper heat in winter.

[Viegener]

I lost this one two winters ago. It seems pretty tropical to me...

[eremophila]

Flowering in Tucson, March 2022. Seems fond of heat but have to keep it potted to move when it freezes. Rather vigorous, it roots into the ground through the pot every summer. Lives in bright shade in summer, half day sun in winter.

[mickthecactus]

Really interesting. I like the Lomatophyllums but can’t quite understand why they have been absorbed into Aloe when you have Gonialoe, Aloidendron, Kumara etc.

[eremophila]

Really interesting. I like the Lomatophyllums but can’t quite understand why they have been absorbed into Aloe when you have Gonialoe, Aloidendron, Kumara etc.

Genetics mostly. Lomatophyllum was created based on visible, superficial traits (the berried fruit), but all those other genera are rooted in DNA testing. The berries are only a modification in seed dispersal and otherwise the group fits snugly within Aloe.
If we ever abandon DNA in taxonomy and revert back to only morphology, then we could possibly get Lomatophyllum reinstated and toss aside Aristaloe, Gonialoe and the rest! But, somehow I don’t see that happening.

[mickthecactus]

The thing is being an older grower I grew up with just morphology, the extreme example being Backeberg describing a cactus from a train (never sure if that’s really a true story).
I can’t agree that a berry as opposed to a dried fruit is not that important plus some Lomatophyllums e.g. sakarahensis and citrea look nothing like Aloes as we know them.

[eremophila]

I started growing aloes in the late 90s and also grew my hobby with only morphology to rely upon. While I generally accept the newer ways of taxonomy, perhaps with a grain of salt, I don’t necessarily run out to change my labels and in some cases do dismiss the lumping and splitting of things, like Rosemary now being included in Lavender. At the end of the day, I’m a gardener, not a botanist.
As to the Lomatophyllum, they are an interesting tribe and I appreciate those who still refer to them as such. Someone once told me that any name ever published isn’t invalidated by a new name, it’s simply outdated. It’s up to the grower to decide whether to keep up with modern taxonomy or be at peace with maintaining the names we started out with.

[mickthecactus]

Rosemary included in lavender? Blimey.

All Stapeliads being transferred to Ceropegia sank like a stone of course.