Aloe zebrina

One of the most widely-spread species of spotted aloe is the Aloe zebrina. They are easy to cultivate and large plants may form up to 10 new plants a year. In no time, if you aren't careful, or perhaps want them, some 40 to 50 new plants grow around the mother plant. In the wild they fall stand up remarkably well veld fires but fall prey to severe frost. Their simple flowers are easily identified close up and they bloom between January and May.

Normally A. zebrina grow under bushes, where they form small colonies. The stems are protected by the heavily armed leaves. They grow in abundance around Grootfontein down towards Windhoek, before spreading east, north and across the Kalahari Desert.