05 Feb Meet the New Bloom: Snowflake Aloe’s Bell-Shaped Blossoms

Aside from our downy jade, neon cigar flowers and pigheaded birds of paradise, flowers are hard to come by in our yard right now. So we were thrilled when one of our aloe plants sent out a skinny raceme covered in tubular mauve flowers.

It’s an Aloe rauhii, to be exact, a snowflake aloe. One of the multitudes of succulents growing from RB’s custom tables, this aloe is native to Madagascar and much-hybridized, and its common name refers to the striking white spots that zip up and down its toothed, fleshy leaves. Kind of reminds us of space-dye?

We pretty much neglected the thing all year, and let the full sun and modest rainfall do the work. The blooms are scentless, with a rubbery texture; we also dig the flowers’ dark variegation, which provides a stark contrast to the fiery stamen.