ISI 2008-12. Aloe zebrina ‘Chapple’s Yellow’ Trager

This rare yellow-flowered variant stands out in the field of maculate aloes—a reference to their typically white-spotted leaves—that are difficult to distinguish from one another. In A. zebrina the leaves are arranged in compact rosettes that offset to form colonies, and the leaf-spots are grouped into bands. The leaves dry naturally at the tips even under lush growing conditions, so this should not be a cause for concern in cultivation. The flowers are normally a dull pinkish color. The selection offered here has been maintained in cultivation for more than 30 years by Anthon Ellert, first in the former Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and then in Tucson, Arizona, since 2001. He acquired a start of the plant from the late Roy Chapple, a medical officer for Rhodesia Railways. Chapple collected some of this distinctive form during his journeys on the railways through the territory of Botswana, at the small village of Hildavale. Among its virtues, according to Ellert, are that this form grows equally well in full sun or part shade and will tolerate light frost. Rooted offsets of HBG 97464. $10.