I came across this interesting beauty with its striking crown as focal point at our local botanical gardens a few weeks ago.
This slow growing Tree Aloe is native to South Africa and considered an ornamental plant. It can grow as tall as 18m high and is recorded as Africa’s largest aloe. It has tubular rose pink flowers which bloom in the winter months.
It is a subtropical tree and you can find it in the coastal regions, kloofs and valleys. It has a shallow root system but enough space should be provided for the trees massive stem base which could reach a diameter of 3m when adult. Do not plant it close to buildings as it needs full sun and well-drained soil with added compost.
The Tree Aloe is also called the "InKalane Enkulu" which means "big one" in Zulu, one of our 11 languages spoken in South Africa.
Photos were taken with my Samsung Galaxy S7.