This one is not PPE, it is more likely 'Blue Castilloniae'. Your other photo is correct.

But the other photo is of the same plant, so how could only one be correct?

They do look like different individuals (at least they are in different pots). Compare these 2 photos




I do not have any opinion about the identity of the plant in question, just a few thoughts about the proposed name for it.

Altman has been selling a plant (presumably a hybrid of castilloniae) using various names. The label I saw (link below) has the following info on it.

Altman Star Aloe Star TM / Aloe castilloniae Hybrid Blue PPAF

and the discussion refers to it as "Blue Castilloniae Hybrid", which is apparently a sister seedling of "Wildfire".

https://www.agaveville.org/vie...

Two issues here. One is naming. We have no database entry for "Blue Castilloniae" and I don't think we likely will. That is a terrible name for a cultivar because it's the name of a species (castilloniae) with a color in front ... which as you might imagine could give rise to all sorts of confusion. Likewise "Blue Hybrid" and "Blue Castilloniae Hybrid" are also pretty bad names for an aloe, in my opinion anyway, because of the distinct lack of specificity. "Altman Star" would be a whole lot better, if that's the actual cultivar name.

If anyone can point me in the direction of the relevant patent, I would be happy to create a database entry for the plant. I was unable to find one.

The second issue here is I have no idea how anybody would know the difference between this so-called "Blue Hybrid" and "Wildfire" based on a small plant for sale in a store, grown soft or under unknown conditions. They are really really similar. The proliferation of very similar plants with different names is not great, and I wish it would stop, though obviously it won't any time soon. There is a pretty strong $ incentive for the breeders to go crazy with new names and plants.

So the simplest solution would be to move the image in question to the genus entry for Aloe if it doesn't correspond to 'Purple People Eater'. I would leave the decision up to Angelo, if and when he chooses to weigh in on this thread.

Hello all, the plant in question was one I saw in a Walmart in Meridian, Idaho where it was kept in dimly lit conditions, the other I saw here in Utah. The picture was also taken in the early evening so the lighting isn't the best and may be why the colors look off. In many of my pictures the plants have been indoors for extended periods of time and in some cases, they are kept under dark shelves that block most of what little light there is left which means they are often suffering from some degree of etiolation. Also, we're are talking about Altman here so plants with incorrect labels is definitely possible. When you combine the total ignorance of Walmart/Lowe's/Home Depot employees in how to care for these plants with Altman's occasional mislabeling you get the mess we're are all too familiar with.

I also agree that the name 'Blue Hybrid'/'Blue Castillioniae Hybrid' is an awful (not to mention illegitimate) cultivar name so hopefully they really have renamed it 'Altman Star'. I haven't been to Lowe's or Home Depot in a while but the last time I saw that plant, the tag had PPAF (plant patent applied for) on it and I haven't seen the name 'Altman Star' yet either but it seems like it's a distinct plant. We might just have to wait until the patent is issued and starts to appear on tags and pots. The "Star Aloes" thing is, I think, a series of new and possibly older Aloes (including 'Blue Hybrid', 'Wildfire', and 'Purple People Eater', among many others) that Altman has been promoting. I think it's more of a marketing move than anything else since it's not specific to any one cultivar.

All in all, I wouldn't mind either way if my picture is moved or not, if you guys feel it only serves to muddy the already murky waters of young Aloe identification then please feel free to move it to the genus entry.

I did find an entry for 'Blue Hybrid' in the DB, just under a slightly different name.
Aloe 'Blue'

Well that is the entry, at least until I find a patent to confirm the name.

I still feel the original photo should be moved to the genus entry if there is a question about the ID, and that seems like the most prudent course given the uncertainty here.

It's great that the Aloes have a patent registry to track the cultivars. Other genera have non-confirmable cultivars running willy-nilly through the DB.

Hi all
Just wanted to give my two cents . Maybe it's worth about that much 😂 . I think the two plants above are different . The one labelled in the DB as PPE, looks like PPE to me so I think that is correct . The first plant is more difficult because it has as angelo has said been kept in low light levels . Two possible Altman candidates are casti blue and wildfire . Below is a very knowledgeable persons view of how to tell these apart . As you can see the two plants she shows look very similar but differences become apparent with ideal light . As no one actually owns the plant in the pic , we can't seen what happens with light levels to create a positive ID . I think the best course of action may well be to leave it in the general section of the DB.
People should be referring to the DB to give them clear examples not more conjecture so I would personally aim to keep the examples as clear as possible.
Here is the info