Aloe maculata

Soap aloe

A stemless, suckering aloe from South Africa and Lesotho with rosettes of spotted leaves and flat-topped heads of red, orange or yellow flowers. It is very variable and adaptable, growing in grassland, rocky slopes and coastal bush, and it tolerates light frost and salt spray. Grow it in full sun in a gritty mix with a drier, cooler winter.

At home, aim for

Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry

Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Grassland, rocky slopes, open bush and coastal scrub, from sea level to the interior highveld. It forms clumps from suckers and is used as groundcover in dry gardens.

From near sea level to the highveld. The 9 measured records with elevation span 55–1,637 m, median 1,261 m, but most of the 879 records have no elevation.

Cape ProvincesKwaZulu-NatalFree StateNorthern ProvincesLesotho

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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More Aloe

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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 CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.