Aloe hardyi
A rare cliff-dwelling aloe from the dolomite gorges of Mpumalanga and neighbouring Limpopo in South Africa. Its rosettes hang down from vertical rock faces, and it bears orange-red flowers on long inflorescences. In cultivation it wants bright sun, very sharp drainage, summer water with a dry winter, and ideally a position where the rosettes can hang, such as a wall pot, a slope or a tilted mount.
Where it grows wild
Grows on vertical and steep cliff faces in ravines and gorges on dolomite, in Poung Dolomite Mountain Bushveld and savanna, with pendent leaves hanging from cracks in the rock. Herbarium labels record well-drained, stony soil over dolomite bedrock, full sun and a west aspect. Parts of a cliff are shaded for part of the day, so exposure varies and sun-stressed leaves turn peach-coloured.
The sources we opened give no elevation; the specimens' localities are redacted because the species is rare.
🔒 Growing it like that
The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:
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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC0 licence, unmodified.