PlantFiles: Aloe
Aloe melanacantha var. erinacea

This plant does well in direct sun in the ground. It does well with minimal irrigation in Southern Calif coastal and inland to 7 miles. It does even better with light additional watering in spring and fall months when dry. Light fertilizer seems to boost its growth whenever additional water is given.

I have had this plant in the ground for about 10 years and I swear it's exactly the same size I planted it- SLOW!. Interesting upright stemless aloe with blue-grey leaves covered with spines (not viscious, but firm and can scrape you). This is a white-spined, somewhat dwarf version of A melanocantha. Never seen mine flower... come to think of it, I have never seen one flower anywhere (not this variety at least). Fairly cold tolerant for an aloe. Rarely grown outdoors since large plants costly and makes such a good potted specimen.