Aloe grandidentata has been a lovely surprise in our hardiness trials for the genus. This caespitose (doesn’t grow on a stalk) species forms 1′ wide dull green rosettes, spotted white, that spread via short underground rhizomes. The plant in the photo below is only 2.5 years old from a single division. We’d killed this twice previously, but two things changed from our last attempt. First, this is an exceptionally winter hardy clone we obtained years earlier from the planting at the South Carolina Botanical Garden. Second, we didn’t previously realize that the species is a lithophyte (needs to live near rocks), so this is the first planting we’ve tried in a crevice garden, which it obviously loves.
Aloe grandidentata, which hails from central South Africa and into southern Botswana, was first named in 1822. The species name, grandidentata, which means big teeth in Latin is a bit of a misnomer, since the teeth are certainly not what we would consider large. Our new specimen has only endured 14F so far, but it had no problem with those temperatures. In spring, the rosettes are topped with stunning 2.5′ tall branched flower spikes of bright salmon-red flowers.
In addition to being a fine ornamental, Aloe grandidentata has shown significant antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antihyperglycemic properties. A 2013 study by Taghreed A. Ibrahim etal, found that it reduced blood glucose to a rate 95% equivalent of the diabetes drug, Metformin. As a topical salve, it has similar properties to its better known cousin, Aloe vera.
