Aloe brevifolia as I bought it on 10-11-12, #121-1.
Crocodile Aloe, Blue Aloe, Short Leaved Aloe
Aloe brevifolia
al-OH brev-ee-FOH-lee-uh
Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit
Synonyms of Aloe brevifolia var. brevifolia (6) (Updated on 11-27-23 from Plants of the World Online): Aloe brevifolia var. postgenita (Schult. & Schult.f.) Baker (1880), Aloe brevioribus Mill. (1768)(sphalm.), Aloe perfoliata var. depressa Aiton (1789), Aloe postgenita Schult. & Schult.f. (1830), Aloe prolifera Haw. (1804), Aloe prolifera var. major Salm-Dyck (1817)
Synonyms of Aloe arborescens var. depressa (5) (Updated on 11-27-23 from POWO): Aloe brevifolia var. serra (DC.) A.Berger (1908), Aloe depressa Haw. (1804), Aloe distans var. depressa (Haw.) Haw. (1821), Aloe serra Willd. (1811), Aloe serra DC. (1801)
Aloe brevifolia Mill. is the accepted scientific name for the Crocodile Aloe. It was described by Phillip Miller in Garden Dictionary in 1771.
Accepted varieties of Aloe brevifolia: *Aloe brevifolia var. brevifolia (autonym), Aloe brevifolia var. depressa (Haw.) Bake. *When an infraspecific taxon is named, an autonym (“type-specimen”) is automatically generated whose description is closest to the (original) species. All have their own list of synonyms…
The genus, Aloe L., was named and described as such by Carl von Linnaeus in the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753.
As of 11-27-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online lists 587 species in the Aloe genus. It is a member of the plant family Asphodelaceae with 41 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.
THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.
Aloe brevifolia on 2-17-13, #139-6.
When I was buying plants at Lowe’s and Wal-Mart in Greenville, Mississippi in August 2012, I only wanted to pay up to $3.00 per tiny pot. There were a few bigger pots of Aloe brevifolia at Lowe’s, but they were around $10.00 a pop. SO, I took an offset and brought it home. That didn’t work so well because it soon died. Hmmm. Hardly ever happens. SO, after it died, I went back to Lowe’s and bought one of the larger pots… It was very overcrowded, so I put it in a larger pot…
A friends Aloe brevifolia on 11-9-12, #128-1.
I was doing some yard work for a friend in Mississippi and noticed she had this AWESOME Aloe brevifolia in a planter in her backyard. She said it overwintered there even though we were in USDA zone 8a.
Aloe brevifolia on 4-18-13, #141-3. It measured 4 1/2″ tall x 8 3/4″ wide when this photo was taken.
I moved back to the family farm in mid-Missouri in February 2013 and I brought most of my succulents with me. Most of my plants were in the back of a trailer and it was around 30 degrees the entire 8-9 hour trip. I had no idea what I was going to do with them when I arrived, so most of them had to go into the basement. Surprisingly, most of them did fine in the basement with low light and 65-degree temperatures. The Aloe brevifolia not only didn’t like the trip, but it also didn’t appreciate the basement.
Aloe brevifolia (Crocodile Aloe) on 6-1-13, #151-7.
The Aloe brevifolia was so happy to be outside when spring came. Now we can all get used to a completely new environment. It asked me if it could be moved into a smaller pot, which I thought was weird. I never had a plant make such a request before since they are usually wanting a larger pot. So, I put it in a smaller pot…
Aloe brevifolia is native to South Africa north of Cape Agulhas to the east of Cape Town. Information suggests it gets most of its rain during the winter months. The area it is native to is being used more and more for agriculture, so it is listed as an endangered species. It now grows mainly in small areas on slopes and rocky areas where it has adapted to avoid fires.
Aloe brevifolia on 7-14-17, #162-13.
I am not sure what the deal was with this plant. It was outside in a smaller pot but it was NOT happy. Maybe it needed more sun.
This species is a clumper that forms rosettes that seem to build on top of each other to about a foot or so tall.
Aloe brevifolia on 10-7-17, #193-14.
It did start looking better toward the end of the summer, but then, colder weather was approaching.
Aloe brevifolia on 12-7-17, #208-5.
SO, toward the end of October, all the potted plants outside had to be moved inside. Most of the succulents were moved to a table in my bedroom. Well, it didn’t like it…
Aloe brevifolia offset on 12-7-13, #208-6.
I put an offset from the bigger plant on the kitchen windowsill with several other succulents.
I gave up most of my plants late in the summer of 2014 then started back up again in 2015. I am not sure if I will try another Aloe brevifolia unless I have more suitable conditions for it. It did seem a bit difficult for me are I rarely have difficulty with any Aloe and their relatives.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Asphodelaceae
Origin: Areas around Cape Town in South Africa.
Zones: USDA Zones 8-11
Size: 1-2’ tall x 1’2’ wide.
*Light: Information says to plant in full sun…
**Water: Water occasionally when soon is dry.
****Soil: Well-drained soil. I use Miracle Grow Potting Soil amended with pumice (50/50) now.
Flowers: Orange flowers on long spikes beginning in late spring.
*During the summer, I keep most of my cacti on the back deck where they receive full sun. During the winter most cacti aren’t picky about the light because they are basically dormant. For several winters, mine were in front of the east-facing sliding door in the dining room so they didn’t get much light but they did great. I built a new shelf for the bedroom so now they are in front of a west-facing window. Most of the succulents are on a shelf in a south-facing window in a cool bedroom but a few are in my bedroom. I keep my Aloe and most of the succulents on the front porch in light shade although they do receive direct sun a couple of times during the day (depending on their location on the table). I don’t put them in full sun because I don’t like their leaves to burn. They get enough light to have nice dark green leaves without stretching.
**When it comes to potting soil, finding the “sweet spot” is not exactly that easy when materials are limited. Cactus and succulent enthusiasts (and experts) do not recommend using peat-based commercial mixes but what choice is there for most of us. They say to use a loam-based mix… Hmmm… Our soil is loam, so do I just use dirt? Well, no because “dirt” is heavy and you need a “light” material. There is A LOT of cactus and succulent recipes online and some get pretty elaborate. Many say to use sand as an ingredient, but if you do that, it needs to be very coarse, like builders sand, because “ordinary” sand, like for sandboxes, is too fine and it clogs up the air space between the coarser ingredients. For MANY years I used 2 parts Miracle Grow or Schultz Potting amended with an additional 1 part of perlite and 1 part chicken grit. Schultz doesn’t seem to have as many large pieces of bark. Cactus and succulent enthusiasts recommended using pumice instead of perlite and grit so I checked it out… The “guy” at General Pumice (online) recommended using a 50/50 mix of potting soil and pumice. General Pumice has 3 different sizes to choose from depending on the size of the pot. SO, in 2018 I bought a bag of 1/8″ and mixed it 50/50 with Miracle Grow Potting Soil. I liked it pretty well. Then in 2020, since most of the cactus were in larger pots, I ordered the 1/4″ size. Pumice has a lot of benefits over perlite and has nutrients that are added to the soil when watering. Pumice is also heavier so it stays mixed in the soil instead of “floating” to the top. Still, there is the issue of the mix getting very hard once you stop watering the plants during the winter when you stop watering. I think this is because of the peat in the potting soil… SO, instead of re-potting the cactus and succulents in the spring, I started doing it during the fall and winter so their soil would be loose. Since you don’t water as frequently during the winter if at all, the timed-release fertilizer does not activate. I have not tried coir, but I am looking into it…
***I water my cactus and succulents on a regular basis during the summer but barely ever in the winter (maybe a little in January) but it all depends on the plant. The leaves on the succulents will tell you when they need a little water… Aloe store water in their leaves and can go for a long time without additional water. If they are dormant in the winter, they don’t need much water… Better to be safe than sorry.
You can read my Cactus Talk & Update and Cactus & Succulent Tips to get my opinion about growing cacti and succulents.
When you bring your new plants home from the store, you need to check their roots and the soil to see if they are wet. If so, you may want to re-pot it right away. It is advisable to re-pot them in a better potting soil more suitable for cacti and succulents.
I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 You can check out the links below for further reading. If you see I have made an error, please make a comment and let me know. You can also email me at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com.
The Belmont Rooster 
I just purchased an aloe brevifolia from Home Depot. I cannot find anywhere on the web whether this plant would be good for external skin care, i.e., wounds and acne. One site I visited said it was mildly toxic, yet it didn’t specify internally, externally or both. Would you happen to know whether it could be used on the skin like traditional aloe vera?
Thanks for your diligent work and wonderful blog 🙂
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Hello Luke! Glad you found an Aloe brevifolia. HOWEVER, I would not necessarily use the gel on your skin. Aloe vera is the plant for that. Even so, part of that plant can also cause contact dermatitis. Like when you scrape the gel from the leaves, the gel is good but if you scrape to much you will get into other plant tissue that is not good. You are better off buying Aloe vera in a bottle from a reliable natural food store or at least check the ingredients for added stuff you don’t need. It also depends on what you are using it for, too. Aloe vera is not good for all skin conditions and can cause a rash in sensitive people. I hope this helps. Thanks for visiting and thanks for the comment.
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