ALOE rupestris

One of the showiest of all the Aloes with a single stemmed tree-like habit that produces and abundance of extremely attractive yellow tightly packed buds the open to reveal bright red bottlebrush like flowers that occur on a branching stalk that rises from the rosette in the winter months.

A fast-growing, large Aloe typically 4-6 metres tall but can grow to 8 metres in height.

Occurs naturally across the south-eastern summer-rainfall areas of Kwazulu-Natal Province, South Africa, as well as Eswatini (Swaziland) and southern Mozambique

Growing notes:

Hardy and easy to grow Aloe’s require little attention other than a bit of a tidy up now and then. 
Extremely drought tolerant in most situations they require no to minimal additional water once established other than natural rainfall. Potted plants will need supplementary water when required during prolonged dry spells.
Adaptable to most soils providing it is well-draining.

Although seed can be sown most of the year in many areas of Australia seed is generally best sown in spring or autumn, avoid the coldest and hottest months of the year. The optimum germination temperature for germination is around 18-24°C

1. Sow seed on a porous seed raising mix and cover with a a sandy mix to a depth of 1-2mm
2. Place in a warm shaded or semi shaded position to avoid dying out.
3. The growing medium should be well draining but should remain damp between watering. Keep moist but not too wet as the seed may rot. Do not let the growing mix completely dry out. 
4. Germination should occur in 14-28 days depending on the temperature and conditions.

General note: Seeds of many plants are dormant and require specific conditions or pre-treatment for germination.
Do not be too hasty to discard seed that does not germinate, seeds will often lay dormant until the conditions are similar to their natural requirements for germination to occur. Containers put to one side will often surprise long after they were discarded.