Fan Aloe

Aloe suprafoliata is a succulent whose juvenile leaves grow in two flat ranks, stacked like the pages of a book; mature plants later form a rosette. Its pink to red flower spikes and sculptural blue-green foliage suit sunny rock gardens, gravel beds, and containers. ## Form and flowering The Plant Library gives a cultivated size of about 45–60 cm tall by 38–45 cm wide, with flowers in pink and red from May to July. Its profile describes the unusual leaf transition from a flat juvenile fan to a mature rosette. Kew accepts Aloe suprafoliata and records a range from Mozambique to Mpumalanga and northern KwaZulu-Natal. ## Siting Plant in sun and sharply draining gravel or rocky soil. The Plant Library lists low water needs and dry-soil, rockery, slope, and container uses. It also reports that the nectar-bearing flowers attract bees, other insects, and birds. ## Maintenance Keep excess water from collecting around the roots and let the growing medium drain freely. The plant is rated for light to moderate frost by the Plant Library; protect it where colder freezes exceed the conditions described there. Sources: [The Plant Library](https://www.theplantlibrary.co.za/plants/aloe-suprafoliata), [Kew Plants of the World Online](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:529952-1).