Aloe polyphylla / Spiral aloe of Lesotho / 5 seeds

Having a wonderful and unique, strikingly symmetrical, spiral growth habit, Aloe polyphylla is an evergreen succulent perennial native to the Kingdom of Lesotho in the Drakensberg Mountains and is the national flower of Lesotho. The epithet ‘polyphylla’ in its name refers to many-leaved in Greek. Aloe polyphylla is a stemless aloe and its leaves grow in a very distinctive spiral shape which may be clockwise or counterclockwise. Leaves are fat, wide, grey-green and serrated, and have sharp dark tips, and grow in five spiral rows. At the start of summer Aloe polyphylla blooms producing flowers that range from red to salmon pink and sometimes yellow in color at the tips of robust, branched inflorescences. Mature plants have more chances to bloom than young plants. Aloe polyphylla has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. Each turn of the leaves contains 15 to 30 leaves. Aloe polyphylla can grow up to 24 inches wide. The flowers of Aloe polyphylla are rich with nectar and so, attracts birds, bees and butterflies.

Although Aloe polyphylla is highly in demand as an ornamental, it’s hard to cultivate and often dies soon if removed from its natural habitat. It’s a criminal offence in South Africa to remove plants or seed of Aloe polyphylla from its natural habitat or to buy plants from roadside vendors. It’s also difficult to find due to particular growing needs and high demand. But once you obtain one, it will be a striking addition to your garden.

Unlike its cousin Aloe vera, Aloe polyphylla is not easy to grow and keep alive outside its natural habitat. It’s sensitive to various environmental factors, including temperature, watering and humidity all of which need to be just right for the spiral aloe to be alive and thrive.

Although the spiral growth habit of Aloe polyphylla is its one of the most striking features, the plant doesn’t grow spirally when its young and until it reaches a width of at least 8 inches.

Also, unlike other succulents, Aloe polyphylla doesn’t require much of light. While growing outdoors, it should be planted in a location which will receive full to partial sun and protected from the harsh afternoon sun. Six hours of morning and evening sunlight is enough for this plant. When grown indoors, it can tolerate more sunlight. Place it in a location that will receive direct sunlight for majority of the day.
Like most succulents, Aloe polyphylla is highly drought tolerant and doesn’t need a lot of water in a day. Actually, overwatering may cause root rot. While watering, you should make sure the soil is completely dried out before watering again. If you live in an area which receives frequent rainfall, and you wish to grow Aloe polyphylla outdoors, it’s a good idea to grow it in a container which you can move indoors and protect the plant from the rain.

Aloe polyphylla is neither cold-hardy nor does it like extreme heat. So, make sure your plant doesn’t experience long periods of freezing temperature and also protect it from temperatures more than 80-degree F (27-degree C).

You should also protect your Aloe polyphylla from strong winds and excessive humidity. Ideally, the plant should be given mild, dry environment.

In general, Aloe polyphylla is pest- and disease-free, but may be attacked occasionally by sap-sucking pests like scale and mealybugs. They tend to hide into the crevices of the plant and backs of leaves. So, you’ve to regularly watch for these pests carefully to catch them early on. Aloe polyphylla is also deer resistant.