Climbing Aloe

Aloiampelos ciliaris

SYN.

Aloe ciliaris

al-OH sil-ee-AIR-sis

Aloiampelos ciliaris (Haw.) Klopper & Gideon F.Sm. is now the accepted scientific name for the Climbing Aloe. The genus and species were named and described by Ronell Renett Klopper and Gideon Francois Smith in Phytotaxa in 2013. It was first named and described as Aloe ciliaris by Adrian Hardy Haworth in The Philosophical Magazine in 1825. It is still commonly sold in the trade as Aloe ciliaris.

Accepted infraspecific names of Aloe ciliaris (4) (Updated on 11-17-22 from Plants of the World Online): *Aloiampelos ciliaris var. ciliaris (autonym), Aloiampelos ciliaris nothovar. gigas (Resende) Gideon F.Sm. & Figueiredo (2019), Aloiampelos ciliaris var. redacta (S.Carter) Klopper & Gideon F.Sm. (2013), Aloiampelos ciliaris var. tidmarshii (Schönland) Klopper & Gideon F.Sm. (2013). *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… 

As of 11-28-29 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online lists seven species in the Aloiampelos genus. It is a member of the plant family Asphodelaceae with 41 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.

This species was discovered by William John Burchell, an authority on South African Aloes, in 1813. He was the son of Matthew Burchell, owner of the Fulham Nursery near London, England. 

THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AND GROWING RECOMMENDATIONS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.

I brought this Aloiampelos ciliaris home from Lowe’s on August 25, 2012, while I was living in Leland, Mississippi. Of course, at the time it was Aloe ciliaris and the common name is Climbing Aloe. It grew very quickly and by the time I took the above photo in November of 2012 it had already grown to 8″tall x 7 1/2″ wide.

This species was discovered by William John Burchell, an authority on South African Aloes, in 1813. He was the son of Matthew Burchell, owner of the Fulham Nursery near London, England.

<<<<2013>>>>

Apparently, taxonomists have decided that it was time to have a closer look at the Aloe genus. Tree and scrambling Aloes have been reclassified and now tree Aloes are in the newly created Aloidendron and scrambling Aloes are in the new Aloiampelos genus. The document I read was full of taxonomic language that I can’t even understand. A few Aloe species were also renamed and put in the resurrected Kumara genus.

After I sold the mansion and moved back to the family farm in mid-Missouri in February 2013 and brought most of my succulents with me. I didn’t know the name had changed until I was writing this page on December 3, 2017. Actually, when a name is changed it can take quite a while before it is fully accepted and the change appears on databases. Not only did the genus of this plant change, but the entire Aloaceae family name was also changed… It depends on what website you are on. Some have changed the genus name but not the family name and visa versa. The family name has changed three times since I started blogging in 2009!

There are several species of climbing Aloe’s, but this one is native to the Eastern and Western Cape in South Africa.

USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Asphodelaceae
Origin: South Africa
Zones: 9a-11b (20-50° F)…
Size: 8-20’.
Light: Sun to light shade. I kept mine in light shade because full sun will burn the leaves.
Soil: Very fast-draining soil. Good quality potting soil amended with pumice (50/50) or amended with additional perlite and chicken grit (2-1-1).
Water: Regular watering during the growing periods and only as necessary during the winter months. If the leaves start curling inward, then give it a little water.
Flowers: Red flowers may occur at any time of the year.

The Climbing Aloe is a pretty neat plant that will grow and keep growing. In the wild, it grows in trees and on fences or samples along the ground. if you grow this plant in pots like I did, you need to provide support. It does not have tendrils like a pea to cling so you will need to tie it to a stake or somehow provide something for it to climb through.

Although the growing zones state 9a-11b and they are cold hardy down to 20 degrees F, I always move my plants inside if the temps get much cooler than 40 especially if there is a chance of frost. I am a bit paranoid when it comes to the “F” word.

I grow all my Aloe and their cousins in light shade or where they get morning sun and light shade the rest of the day. That, too, depends on the temperature. If it is early summer, a bit more sun is OK after they have adjusted to being outside. Then as it starts heating up, I give them more shade so their leaves won’t burn.

I water potted plants outside as they need it. Potted plants dry out faster so they need water more often. Succulents can survive on less water than “other” plants, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t like the same amount during their growing periods in the spring and during the summer. Aloe are considered summer dormant but that all depends on whether the species are in a summer or winter rainfall area. Anyway, that’s what the experts say. From my experience, I can’t tell if they are dormant because they look basically the same all year. Their growth does slow somewhat during the winter.

By October I knew I would soon have to bring the potted plants inside for the winter. I had no idea where I was going to put them all since I had been away from the farm since 1987… I wasn’t used to an “F” coming in October…

I overwintered some of my succulents upstairs in my bedroom, on the kitchen windowsill, or in the basement. Some of the Aloes seemed to do much better in the basement over winter where it was cooler than upstairs. Their leaves stretched more upstairs in inadequate light and where it was warm than they did in the basement where it was 65° F.

<<<<2014>>>>

All the plants are very happy to see spring come when they can get back outside.

My Climbing Aloe was 20″ tall when the above photo was taken. It grew 15 inches since I bought it in 2012!

I gave up most of my plants shortly after the above photo was taken then I had to start over again. I will definitely bring another one home someday. I never had any issues with this plant…

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 cactus and succulents. Always check for critters that may come home with the plants and keep an eye out during the winter months… 

You can read my Cactus Talk & Update and Cactus & Succulent Tips to get my opinion about growing cactus 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 notice I have made an error, please leave a comment. You can also send me an email at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com

FOR FURTHER READING:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
WIKIPEDIA (GENUS/SPECIES)
LLIFLE (ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LIVING FORMS)
DAVE’S GARDEN
SUCCULENTGUIDE
PLANTZ AFRICA
THE NATIONAL GARDENING ASSOCIATION
SAN MARCOS GROWERS
iNaturalist