🌱 Morphology
    Mini Aloe with very compact growth that forms small rosettes approximately 5 cm in diameter, although it can eventually form a much larger clump due to the abundant production of offsets. The leaves are fleshy, triangular, and dark green, with small, soft, silver-white teeth on the margins and numerous bumps or small, light-colored spines on both sides. The combination of the triangular leaves of Aloe descoingsii and the spiny appearance of A. haworthioides is characteristic of this hybrid.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It is a horticultural hybrid created by John Bleck, through the cross Aloe descoingsii × Aloe haworthioides, performed in the early 1980s. Both parents are aloes from Madagascar, but ‘Pepe’ does not have its own natural distribution or habitat. It belongs to the Asphodelaceae family.

❄️ Temperature
USDA 10a–11b. For cultivation in Spain, we recommend keeping it above 5 ºC, especially when in a pot. It can withstand occasional drops near 0 ºC if it is completely dry and protected, but we do not recommend exposing it to prolonged frost.

☀️ Lighting
During growth, 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ of DLI PAR. It needs plenty of light to maintain compact rosettes and good formation of the white bumps and teeth. It tolerates mild direct sun, although in Madrid it is advisable to protect it from the most intense sun during the central hours of summer, especially if it has not been previously acclimatized.

💧 Growth cycle
It has an opportunistic behavior, although it responds especially well to water and growth during warm periods. Water abundantly and allow the substrate to dry completely before the next watering. In winter, significantly reduce the frequency of watering, keeping the plant dry during long periods of cold. Its excellent capacity to produce offsets allows a small rosette to quickly become a compact clump.

🌸 Flowering
The flowers appear on thin stems up to about 30 cm tall, clearly protruding above the tiny rosette. They are pinkish-orange, reddish-orange, or yellowish-orange. Flowering is poorly documented in terms of timing and can be irregular; sources place it mainly between spring and summer.

🌿 Nutrition
During growth periods, use Desert CHOICE® Aloes, Haworthia & Co., formulated for these small succulents and with an adequate supply of calcium and potassium. Reduce or suspend fertilization during periods of cold or vegetative slowdown.

This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technological square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

📏 The sizes of our basic collection xerophytes are as follows:

S -> 9cm x 9cm

* As this is an online purchase, the appearance of the specimen sent may vary slightly from the product image. The measurements of the plant are specified in the photo description, but this may also vary slightly because, after all, it is a living thing! Each of the plants at Desert CITY has unique characteristics.