Far Out Flora

Gardening in the Outerlands of San Francisco

Tag Archives: Aloe arborescens

Fiery Aloe Spikes

January 12, 2012 by Matti | 22 Comments

Aloe arborescens - Krantz Aloe

Aloe arborescens - Krantz Aloe

The Aloe arborescens are going crazy down in Pacific Grove, CA.  One of the best spots to see these blooming succulents is along Ocean View Blvd.  Take a stroll along the coastal path from the Pacific Grove Marine Gardens Park over to Hays Perkins Park…you won’t regret it.  (Update:  Sounds like the  parks are mislabeled and should both be considered Shoreline Park.  Thanks Katie.)

Aloe arborescens - Krantz Aloe

Aloe arborescens - Torch Aloe

Aloe arborescens goes by a lot of common names such as Torch Aloe, Candelabra Aloe, and Krantz Aloe to name a few. Common names are often descriptive such as Torch for its red flower spikes or Candelabra for their large leave rosettes. But the common name Krantz Aloe puzzled me. Turns out, it comes from the Afrikaner word, Kransaalwyn, which loosely translates to rocky cliff. In habitat, these succulent Aloes thrive in rocky ridges from sea level…all the way up to high mountain elevations. Seems the largest concentrations of them are found in southeastern continental Africa.

Aloe arborescens along Sunset Dr in Monterey Bay

Aloe arborescens along Sunset Dr in Monterey Bay

Having some fun with the iPhone, we stitched up a Hipstamatic of that same Aloe clump.  One thing we did notice was how stressed out the Aloes where still looking. The lack of rain this winter has kept the foliage looking redder than limey green.

Aeoniums in Bloom

Aeoniums in Bloom

The hiking trail meanders on for over a mile right next to the water.  Frolicking down the footpath, we found a number of Aeoniums blooming too.  Man, love those yellow conical clusters.

Matti and Max

Matti and Max

Max the Border Collie got to stretch his legs too; the place is pretty dog friendly as long as you keep them on leash.  Oh, check it out. Besides the Aloes…the Echium candicans (Pride of Madeira) were popping their purple spiky inflorescence. Aren’t those a fab combo?

Echium candicans & Aloe arborescens

Echium candicans & Aloe arborescens

Echium candicans - Pride of Madeira

Echium candicans - Pride of Madeira (syn. Echium fastuosum)

Echium candicans (syn. Echium fastuosum) produces oodles of little flowers on their bloom spikes.  Great plants for attracting pollinators.  If you’re ever down in the Monterey Bay area, we highly recommend taking a detour to this garden path.

– Far Out Flora

SF Botanical Blooms

December 11, 2011 by Megan | 5 Comments

Succulent Wonderland

The day after Thanksgiving I headed up to the foggy SF Botanical Garden to see what was happening. The succulent section is looking super sweet right now with all the Aloe arborescens freaking out. They’re starting to go nuts in gardens all over town right now, too. Winter Aloe bloom time is one of my favorite flower seasons. Check out the mega-giant Agave salmiana starting to shoot out a flower.

Montanoa grandiflora

Lots of crazy tree daisy action going on. This one smells like cupcakes. Sweet, sweet cupcakes. I think I stood in front of it for at least five minutes just sniffing. It’s right off the main path that goes by the succulent section at the bottom of the hill across from Puya hill.

Vertical Agave attenuata

I wish I had a rock wall of my very own to shove full of succulents.

Brugmansia sanguinea

I’m still obsessed with Brugmansia sanguinea. This one has some really nice coloration. Ours isn’t as deep red. I still get a little freaked out when I see how big our “little” guy could potentially get (I’m still in denial about its size).

Cuphea micropetala

There were masses of Cuphea micropetala blooming in the Exhibition Garden, which I often forget to visit.

Nerine bowdenii

Nerine bowdenii was going completely crazy in the South African section. There are masses and masses of it looking pretty all over the place.

Pretty Protea repens

One last pretty bloom. Check out our buddy Derek’s blog post on Plantgasm for more cool pics (he went the day after me). More pics from my visit are here on flickr, too.

Splendid Strybing

February 20, 2011 by Megan | 5 Comments

Bomarea sp.

It’s been awhile since we’ve posted anything from the SF Botanical Garden. Last week at my docent training class I heard that folks who don’t think there should be a fee to visit the garden call it “Strybing”, and those that do call it “San Francisco Botanical Garden”. I’d never heard this before, but out of pure laziness I usually call it Strybing.

Brugmansia sanguinea “Scarlet Angel’s Trumpet”

I’m obsessed with Brugmansia sanguinea. So obsessed I planted one in a big container out back a couple weeks ago. I’m  worried it’s going to want more water than I’m going to remember to give it come summer. Apparently it will drop leaves if it dries out. I think my love will help me keep it alive.

Magnificent Magnolia campbellii

Did you know that the very first Magnolia campbellii to bloom in a U.S. garden was right here back in 1940? True story. It’s a precocious bloomer, which means it blooms before any leaves appear. All Magnolias are pollinated by beetles. Thanks to my docent training class yesterday, I learned lots of cool things about Magnolias. This guy is native to the Himalayas.

Aloes & Crataegus mexicana

The Aloe arborescens are still putting on a decent show. The fruit covered Crataegus mexicana in the background is quite a sight too. Native to Mexico, the fruits are edible and used to make a traditional hot Christmas punch. Another random fact from wikipedia: “Due to its high pectin content, the fruit is industrially processed to extract pectin for the food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, textile and metal industries.”

Salvia gesneriiflora ‘Tequila’

I don’t have anything exciting to say about this Salvia except that it’s sweet. Happy Sunday!

October 25, 2010
by Megan
3 Comments

Small Garden Patches

The rain is back in SF and the plants are getting a good washing.  Funny…I thought some plants had purple foliage, but turns out…just a lot of dust on them.  Poking around between the drops we spotted these small patches.  … Continue reading →