Aloe polyphylla (Spiral Aloe)

Fascinating, Aloe polyphylla (Spiral Aloe) is a compact evergreen succulent valued for its foliage arranged in a perfect spiral pattern. The fleshy gray-green leaves form a tight rosette that becomes a beautiful spiral, either clockwise or counterclockwise, as the plant ages. A plant can count up to 150 leaves geometrically arranged in 5 ranks. The leaves are adorned with white to pale-green spines along their edges and a dark, purplish brown terminal spine at their tips. This Aloe rarely flowers. When it does in spring and early summer, its red to salmon-pink tubular blooms are borne on a branching spike that emerges above the foliage. The flower of Aloe polyphylla is the national flower of Lesotho. Lovely in decorative containers!

• Winner of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society
• Grows up to 1 ft. tall (30 cm) and 2 ft. wide (60 cm).
• Easily grown in sandy or gravelly, well-drained soils in full sun. Water moderately when in growth; very sparingly when dormant. Apply a balanced liquid fertilizer 2 or 3 times in the growing season. Drought tolerant.
• Great for beds and borders, rock gardens, slopes, succulent gardens, or Mediterranean gardens. Great in decorative containers too.
• Deer resistant. The flowers produce nectar and are attractive to birds and bees.
• Propagate by seed sown with heat as soon as ripe or from offsets
• Virtually disease free. Watch for scale insects and mealybugs.
• Native to Lesotho.