The precise origin of this Somalian species was shrouded in mystery for nearly a century. Aloe authority G. W. Reynolds surmised that it was found in the mountains of northern Somalia based on Dr. Hildebrandt’s general account of his African Travels of 1873 and 1874. Subsequently, it was found to be fairly widely distributed in those mountains where it varies in flower color from yellow to pastel orange or even dull scarlet. The material offered here originates from seed collected by John Lavranos (7390), Dec 21, 1969, at Ga’an Libah, Woqooyi Galbeed Province, northern Somalia. We offer rooted plants from tissue culture of a yellow-flowered selection of HBG 25760. It has grown for decades in the upper garden and for the last decade, at least, in the shade of a large cereus in the lower garden where cold air settles in winter. Therefore, it has withstood a number of significant frosts to the mid-20s. $10.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 91 (2), Summer 2019