ISI 2024-8. Aloe ‘Silver Spur’ J. Trager

This slow-growing hybrid was selected by J. Trager from open-pollinated seed of A. krapohliana var. dumoulinii in March, 2000, sown the following October. A. krapohliana var. dumoulinii is a dwarf, clustering aloe from the arid coastal plain S of the Orange River near Alexander Bay, N. Cape, S. Africa. Its dwarf stature and relatively large flowers borne on usually solitary, compact racemes. recommend it as potential parent for hybridization. Karen Zimmerman has produced some via controlled pollination that are still being evaluated. I let the hummingbirds do the work in this case and took advantage of the seed set hoping to obtain more of the natural variety. Instead, what came up was clearly a hybrid, with short, stout deltoid leaves with white flecking that shows through the glaucous wax covering the leaves. The pollen parent is unknown but looks as though it may be another hybrid that we grew nearby at the time, A. ‘Winter Sky’ (A. rauhii × A. descoingsii). The short, stiff, deltoid, radiating leaves with their glaucous, silvery epidermis inspired the cultivar name. Divisions of HBG 118546, $15.