‘In the beginning God created the heavens… and the earth.’ In the time span represented by that ellipsis, all the heavier elements, including gold, were created in the fiery furnaces of supernovae. Only after that could Aloe ‘Galactic Gold’ come into being through Karen Zimmerman’s “fantasy aloe” hybridization work. This brief history of Aloe cosmology includes the cross of (KZ #1-5 [A. divaricata × A. parvula] × A. compressa var. rugosquamosa) × A. compressa var. rugosquamosa. The compressa var. rugosquamosa component utilized a choice clone that imparted its golden-yellow teeth (marginal and some surface) to the glaucous rosettes of this hybrid, which start distichous and later develop a slight galactic twist. Rooted plants from tissue culture of HBG 138956. $15.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 93 (2), Summer 2021