Hamwild said:

No need to apologize, I just didn't know if you knew you didn't have to go through the extra hassle. I haven't tried uploading pictures on my phone, but it would probably wig out for me too.

My phone also protests when I upload multiple pictures. One thing that I figured out is you can submit the response then edit the pictures in one by one. That's usually what I do.

It is still a clunky process, but I think it is actually still quicker than putting each one in its own response but that probably varies by what kind of phone you're actually using.

Pete, Your collection is so large and special. Are you in the nursery business? Just a hobbyist?
Pete, do you have any sanseveria? Surprise me.

mcvansoest said:Maybe Baja can have a look at A.TDG for the respective descriptions.

You are right, the 2 plants can be distinguished by their size (somaliensis much larger) and the degree of branching in the inflorescence (somaliensis more branched). TDG has hemmingii as 8-10 inches (20-24cm) wide and somaliensis as 14-28 inches (36-70cm) wide. I think somaliensis also tends to offset less but that's more a trend than a useful feature to distinguish them. The two were lumped together as one species in 1984 but are listed separately in the book.

Here is my plant, about 10 years old, a bit limited in its 3 gallon (25cm) pot. It flowers continuously year round (a real performer in that respect).

I find it hard to grow Aloes here too, but I tried one again this May 2018:
when initially acquired in May 2018, looks quite dry, leaves slightly tinged but still a bit dull:


repotted it, with one type of haworthia beside it:


growing it in part sun area, it just seems somewhat dormant with our ongoing heatwave in August, while Haworthis beside it is in blooming mode:


Perking up nicely as Fall season rolled in, even the haworthia has also improved growth:
September 2018


10 Oct2018


I already know these aloes will not tolerate our wet, cold winter, so it will be one of the succulent containers that I will hide indoors this winter by our south facing room.

This aloe gasteria hybrid is more tolerant of the seasonal changes here, tolerates the wet winters, blooms nicely in late winter to spring: these photos taken late January 2017

Where do people in the US get their aloe (or Aloe) seeds from? Just curious. I don't seem to ever find too many seed sources, especially for less-common species.

Don't know if this one counts?

Jai,

I know a lot of people get their seeds from Silverhill seeds in South Africa, but they just lost their two main owners due to a horrific incident linked to terrorism (you can find a thread on it at Agaveville and it made the news in the UK for sure - they were UK nationals if I remember correctly). However, I think the store is still in business and people over on Agaveville have been very positive about the seeds received, before and after the incident.

I think there is a place in Oakland the institute for Aloe studies, but they do not sell seeds, they do sell plants though:
http://www.aloestudies.org/sto...

You have to wonder why they do not sell seeds... anyway, maybe this is at least somewhat helpful.

Baja, that is a nice Aloe somaliensis from its inflorescence.

Pete, if your plant has a multibranched inflorescence like Baja's it is somaliensis for sure, if not, it could be hemmingii....
They are both awesome plants. I only have hemmingii, will try to post pics tonight.

Holy moly. I found news stories about their murders. That is incredibly awful. I don't even know what to say to that.

Stush2019 said:Pete, Your collection is so large and special. Are you in the nursery business? Just a hobbyist?
Pete, do you have any sanseveria? Surprise me.

Thanks Stush, Im just a hobbiest, only been into Aloes for around 5 years. Been hubridizing for around 3, just starting to produce some worthy plants imho. As for Sansiveria, no I dont collect, I have some common ones but nothing worth noting. I restrict my collecting to Tillandsia, Haworthia, Agave, Pachypodium, Cacti and Euphorbia, im limited with space these days, the common plants are slowly getting replaced with less common and or Variagates/sports.
I see Bajas Samaliensis, Very. Ice indeed, Based on that I would say mines definitely Hemmingii

Nobilis


DZ





Coral Fire


Kamakazee


Viper


Orange Marmalade


Latté


Hybrid noid


Xmas Sleigh


Shortfall


Dracula Blood


Bright Star X


Sunset


Pillansii


SnowStorm


Purchased as Kraken ?


Sladiana X


Gargoyle X


Polyphylla, really struggles in Perth


Broomii


Unconfirmed


Boris


Raspberry Ruffles


Old Timer


Piranha X


Juvenna


Sparkling Burgundy



Paul Hutchinson


Eppy Jay


Wrasse


Kelly Blue


D.W little circles?


Avatar Paul Forster hybrid of Doran Black


Excelsa


Snapper one of fish series


Bright star aka Donnie


Peglerea


Peggy in bloom


Purple Starfish


Humilis


Rammy and Variegated Arborescens


Paul Hutchinson Super Clone

Pete, Your blowing us away here. I see in your background photos many different plants in pots. Do you also hybridize as well with the many seeds your getting.
When you say just a couple common ones. Knowing you, nothing is common in your collection. Keep showing.

peettee79 said:
Unconfirmed

There are named and unnamed varieties of Aloe compressa which remain both distichous and stemless their entire lives. Not sure whether this is one, but I've seen a few which vary a lot in color from purples to glaucous greens and with varying amounts of spines/teeth/bumps. Sometimes I wonder if they're not mislabeled because they vary so much.

The only reason I've paid attention is because I have an unnamed Gasteria hybrid which at one point I thought was an Aloe compressa, and it is basically the same color as this plant except much smaller and with stouter leaves.

Yeah its an interesting one, we bought a heap of them 2 years back, when tiny and sold to us as Suzannae, which we soon realised was far from. My friend has one in the ground which is starting to twirl. Either way its a nice aloe.

Here are my two Aloe hemmingii, one I have had for about 8 years and it has become a sizable clump, but I probably do not water it enough in the summer. The other I got in the spring and is still solitary, but a frequent flowerer:

Stush2019 said:Pete, Your blowing us away here. I see in your background photos many different plants in pots. Do you also hybridize as well with the many seeds your getting.
When you say just a couple common ones. Knowing you, nothing is common in your collection. Keep showing.

Thanks Stush, yeah I hybridize but wont be taking any credit for them, and wont bombard the thread with a million unnammed hybrid photos. Maybe start a "my own aloe hybrid" thread so people can post what work they have done ? Thoughts

peettee79 said:

Thanks Stush, yeah I hybridize but wont be taking any credit for them, and wont bombard the thread with a million unnammed hybrid photos. Maybe start a "my own aloe hybrid" thread so people can post what work they have done ? Thoughts

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Hamwild said:

Sounds like a good idea to me.

The thread "Aloeae hybrids" in Cactus and Succulents forum

Every thing Pete shows us blows us away. Can't wait to see what hybrids he has!!
Jai, Noticed the blooms Thijs just showed, they are more common with the hybrids. Haworthia are small and mostly white. But with hybrids anything is possible.
Most hybrids tend to be superior to there parents. Having the best traits of both parents. Or at least that is what the hybridizer (breeder) is hoping for.

Well, since I am not sure this is a hybrid, but it could be, I will initially post the images here, but this aloe came to me as Aloe vera 'pink'. However, I am pretty certain there is no Aloe vera 'pink'. Size wise is about the same size as an Aloe vera plant will get, it is just a very reluctant off setter (unlike Aloe vera). If anybody has any ideas as to its actual ID let me know:







The Aloe to the left of the prickly pear in the middle two images is actually an Aloe vera (confirmed by blooms) that was planted a few years after the 'pink' ones but has now (these pictures are a few years old) reached out equal size, but also has offset much more forming the typical clump. I'd say that the leaves on the plants with the salmon/pink flowers have slightly wider based leaves. These plants feel like they have slightly more open character than most Aloe vera rosettes. One of the two plants has made one offset so far. Aside from the color the inflorescence looks pretty similar to Aloe vera, maybe with slightly wider spaced flowers (but only slightly) and with flowers dropping off the stalk a little quicker than on my Aloe veras. So far I have not been able to get this plant to set seed and it is has flowered at the same time as several of my other Aloes.

Interesting. I do not recognize the plant.

Here's a photo gallery illustrating something you *don't* want to see in your aloe garden.... most of these pictures taken far away from here, fortunately.