Hello,

Do you know a grower in Europe that grows Aloe polyphylla variegata?

Please let me know.

Kind Regards,
kelly

Welcomed and never heard of this but anything can be variegated. It will be expensive and some variegations can be tricked by chemicals or virus so be sure of source and if it will stay variegated. If you find one, please post pictures of it. Would love to see one myself. I know of some of my variegated aloes lost their variegation when exposed to direct all day sun. I now keep these in bright shade or partial sun light. I think they were chemical induced as well but can't find any info on this.
Some here are very knowable and would love to see their comments.

The short answer to your question is no. But such a plant would be quite rare and difficult to propagate. You would presumably have to core a mature plant to force branching and then root the branches, unless tissue culture would be useful. It's more or less an expert level problem, either way. Given that Aloe polyphylla is a little difficult to start with and relatively uncommon in its normal (unvariegated) form, it could take you a really long time to find one.

Yes, Baja, I forgot about Aloe poly not producing pups. They have to hybridize it to get seeds so it may be possible for one with similar characteristics to have the capabilities to product pups like other aloes. Good answer.

This one is for auction now. It's very expensive and bidding is already nudging $300. It is beautiful.


A mature one


Will probably go over $1000.

I seem to have forgotten, what exactly triggers variegation. But hybridization, can certainly cause it to occur, as it mentioned. I guess more correctly, the introduction of incompatible pollen, to force a flower to accept its' own pollen to produce seeds, is more precise.. As it otherwise would take two Aloe polyphylla to be in bloom at the same time ( unless pollen was frozen & stored, properly) You might try buying seeds & attempting to grow one yourself, unless you have lots of money! Besides that, I hear they are fairly difficult maintain.

I recalled a place in Holland, called succulent-tissue-culture , but they are not currently offering plants, at this time of year. It may not necessarily mean they aren't continuing to grow plants in tissue culture, though... Good luck, if you decide to bid - & win!. I remember when it was introduced & seeds were rare. Then, people were putting ice cubes on it, just to keep it alive, as it grows at rather high altitude, in habitat .Shawn

Seeing is believing but watch you are not being dupped. I have heard of variegation from seeds that are variegated but myself, I have never seen it. I have heard of bleaching, even using 'Round-up' on young plants to produce variegation but it almost never stays that way. Overseas grower know variegated plants sell for 10 times more so many use many bad ways even paint.
What if you aloe turns out to be another variety or species? Before I pay that much for a plant, I want to see the grower and buy it myself and not mail order. I just purchased some Aloe variegated cheap and looks like your pup.


Good luck and let us know how it works out.

I would tend to think that use of RoundUp, to be rather scary as it is toxic & Monsanto, the maker, also created 'Agent Orange'... Go figure...Wheras, I have heard of using GA3, to help create intergeneric hybrids & alter the number of chromosomes. by use of Colchicine, which can kill the seeds ,if used incorrectly but some results I had seen, were larger flowers & hybrid cactus, that likely wouldn't have likely ever crossed, naturally ( experiment, in a hobbyist greenhouse setting) & saw photos of the rather odd resulting cactus plants.

I have heard of using Portland cement to open the pistols before it can accept pollen and some hard to pollinate flowers were done. This was on some Aloes with Haworthia.

@Stush2019 Now I have just about heard it all! That one takes the cake, in my book. I would think the Lime, is rather a bit harsh....Though, what I have done in the past, was to extremely carefully splitting a pistil, to shorten the distance a pollen grain needs, for a tubule to reach it, to obtain fertilization. Because, a long tubule flowering plant, ( or cactus/succulent) doesn't work well, if the pollen donor comes from a much shorter growing tubule .Conversely, the shorter one, should be easier, to accept pollen on the mature stigma, from the longer pistil, of the pollen parent. As the tubule doesn't have to grow as long as ordinarily would,, to create fertilization, at the ovary.
I recall, pollinating a Turbinicarpus alonsoi, with a Pelcyphora ( can't remember, if aselliformis, but likely strobiliformis or Strombocactus esperanza.. The T. alonsoi produced a huge amount of seeds. Germination was very good, & some were green & others red- (about 50/50) but a slug had a nice midnight munchies fest & so I never did get past, the noticeable seedling color difference. Much like the best ''Onzuka' are red seedlings ^ the green, ones disposed of, as they are supposedly just rather normal looking....Forced, self pollination, or inter (intra?) specific can cause color mutation, more naturally, even if it is an "un-natural" plant results.
hth Shawn