Brian Kemble, curator at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, CA and noted aloe and agave expert, selected this vigorous cultivar published here for the first time. It is derived from a choice form of A. deltoideodonta (distributed as var. nov. by Abbey Garden). An attempted cross with pollen of A. somaliensis var. marmorata was unsuccessful, but the plant apparently selfed. ‘Wunderkind’ is characterized by beautiful, white-spotted, tuberculate leaves with marginal teeth joined into elongate, molar-like groupings as in the parent, but it offsets prolifically while the parent is largely solitary. In addition, its showy upright inflorescences of pinkish flowers make it a worthy addition to the range of dwarf container specimens or rockery subjects. Rooted offsets of HBG 90214. $10.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 76 (2), March - April, 2004