Cooper’s Aloe: Afrikaans is Grasalwyn and in Zulu, Putumane
Aloe cooperii is a very hardy, stemless Aloe with long, arching, narrow yellowish-green leaves arranged in a fan shape. The smooth leaves of the Cooper’s Aloe are dotted with white on the outside (especially at the bottom of the leaves), and the edges have small white teeth. These graceful leaves distinguish this Aloe and make it easily recognisable. The leaves spring from one point in the ground, overlapping slightly at the base, placing one inside the other. Will grow up to plus-minus one metre.
Attractive enough for a vase?
Flower stalks appear from December to March. They grow to about the same height or slightly taller than the leaves, springing from the centre of the leaves. The Cooper’s Aloe has a large, loosely arranged flower spike that bears clear, peach to orange flowers with beautiful green tips. Two to three flower stalks grow up from each leaf cluster. The flowers are attractive flowers for your vase. The flowers are nectar-rich and attract nectar-feeding birds and insects such as Sunbirds, bees and butterflies to the garden.
The plant with multi-purposes
Both the flowers and leaves can be cooked and eaten and have a significant cultural and economic value to the Zulu people.
Cooper’s Aloe is evergreen and is hardy to frost and drought. Plant in full sun to semi-shade, compost-enriched, well-drained soil. Surprisingly, this Aloe will tolerate marshy ground – it occurs naturally throughout Kwazulu-Natal, Swaziland and into Mpumalanga. This plant offers year-round textural interest, a beautiful choice for grassland landscaping, mass planting or within a mixed border. They are great plants for small or large garden use—also, a practical and pretty container plant.
Cooper’s Aloe is a versatile plant and will add a touch of drama to any garden.
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All species of Aloes are easy to grow and care for, and to raise an Aloe plant you only need sun and a little bit of water. But, unfortunately, the Aloe has a natural enemy that cannot be seen with the naked eye and sadly, the ugly trail of destruction is hard to miss. The Aloe Mite.
Aloe mite
This enemy is the eriohyid mite (Aceria aloinis) that goes by many different names like Aloe mite, Aloe cancer, Aloe wart, Aloe gall or Witch’s Broom. As the many names suggest, the effect of these mites on the plant is not pretty and causes tumour-like growths. Mites are arachnids, which makes them related to spiders, but this is where the resemblance stops. Spiders usually have 8 legs and are fast movers, but this mite only has 4 legs, is worm-like, and is slow. They inject a chemical into the plant that causes these cancerous growths that we call gall, wart or cancer.
Identification
Unfortunately, the only way to tell if a plant is infected is to see the abnormal tissue growth. The Aloe mites are attracted to rapidly growing tissues, and that is why the first sign of this mite is new inflorescence that emerges from the plants all crooked and bent. Abnormal, distorted growth tends to form more at the leaf centre of the leaf rosettes, makes a bubbly fringe on older leaves edges, and green-orange growths at the base of leaves.
Treatment
Killing the mites is easy, but the problem is getting to the mite underneath the cancerous growth where they are protected against pesticides. The Aloe mite infection is controlled by carving these galls off the Aloe with a sharp knife. The infected tissue must be immediately thrown in the trash (NOT on the compost heap) or burned. Cover the cuts with cinnamon as that will help heal the wound. Blue Death Powder can also be applied by painting it with a small brush onto the fresh wound. BUT please remember that this is toxic to humans and animals!!!! Keep on looking for any new deformities. Clean the knife between every cut with bleach as the mite can be spread from one leaf or plant to another. Also, clean your hands afterwards as it also can be spread by handling uninfected plants thereafter.
Aloe mites are also easily spread by wind. If the infestation is severe, dispose of the entire plant because it is a breeding ground.
Prevention
When buying new Aloe plants, always look for uninfected plants, or buy an Aloe that is naturally resistant to Aloe mite like Aloe suprafoliata. Check plants often for early signs of deformation, saving your plant and your garden. If you are an Aloe collector or have a rare and valuable specimen, visit your nursery for preventive miticide that has to be applied before infestation.
Treating Aloe mite can be labour intensive. You need to identify it early and do something about the cancerous growth. Remember, even if you don’t mind the growth on your Aloes it is best to remove it as it will spread to your other Aloes.
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Aloiampelos tenuior – Common names: Fence aloe, Slender aloe or ‘Heuningaalwyn’.
Aloiampelos tenuior is a bushy, multi-branched, climbing succulent that occurs naturally in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Kwazulu Natal and Mpumalanga. It was formerly known as Aloe tenuior, but Aloiampelos means ‘climbing plant’, and it was changed to name a group of climbing or rambling Aloes.
If you are looking for a succulent with a long flowering season, free-flowering and showy plant, then this Aloe is the one for you. Aloiampelos tenuior is suited for rockeries, retaining walls, terraces, mixed garden beds and borders and en masse planting. It needs full sun but can tolerate semi-shade although it will flower less.
It is also a good container plant and with a little help can be encouraged to climb up a fence or a trellis. Although in nature it can grow in poor soil, it is best to plant Aloiampelos tenuior in compost enrich, well-drained soil, and to give it a good mulch of compost in springtime. Whilst they can withstand dry conditions, it will perform better with regular watering – especially in the dry spells in summer. It can withstand light frost, and it is also wind-resistant, making it a popular coastal plant.
The Aloiampelos tenuior is a small to medium evergreen, with sprawling shrub stems which are slender and grow upright, but tends to need support from surrounding shrubs to remain upright. The leaves are thin and slightly fleshy without any spots. It is crowned in a lax rosette at the ends of the branches, and the leaf margins have small teeth. Being a fast-growing shrub, this Aloe can become untidy and needs regular pruning to keep tidy and encourage more flowers.
Delicate yellow flowers (red and orange-red) are borne in a slender rosette nearly year-round but mainly from late winter into late summer and are visited by bees for pollen and nectar.
The root and leaves are used in traditional medicine as purgative and tapeworm remedy.
This easy to grow, undemanding and free flowering Aloe will transform any garden in a riot of colour when in full bloom.
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