This imposing Madagascan aloe not only sounds like A. vaombe but also shares several features with it as well. Both form large solitary rosettes up to 1.5 m across of recurved leaves atop a trunk reaching 4 m or more. In fact, the two are so similar as to be indistinguishable when not in flower. In flower they are quite distinctive, the racemes of A. vaombe being erect, those of A. vaotsanda with an unusual drooping aspect in bud, then oblique at anthesis (an excellent photo may be found on page 239 of the Nov—Dec 2003 issue of the Cactus and Succulent Journal). The ranges of the two species overlap, further complicating identification of non-flowering plants in the field. We offer HBG 90212, from seeds collected Nov 20, 2001, by Röösli & Hoffmann (2401), at Lac Anony, Amboasary, Madagascar. $7.50.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 76 (2), March - April, 2004