Aloe mitriformis (Aloe perfoliata)Mitre Aloe

The Aloe mitriformis, commonly known as the Mitre Aloe and now formally treated as Aloe perfoliata, is a sprawling South African aloe that creeps outward on long decumbent stems, each tipped with a compact rosette of thick, triangular, blue-green leaves edged in bright yellow teeth. Dense scarlet flower heads are carried in summer.

The creeping habit makes it behave more like a succulent ground cover than an upright aloe, and it will tumble over walls and down banks. It is used on retaining walls, slopes, rockeries and in raised planters.

Specifications

• Height0.3 to 0.5 metres
• Width1 to 2 metres, creeping outward on decumbent stems
• Native toThe Western Cape of South Africa, on rocky slopes
• FoliageThick, triangular, blue-green leaves edged with bright yellow teeth, in compact rosettes on creeping stems; evergreen
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilRequires sharply drained sandy, gravelly or rocky soils; rots in heavy or wet ground
• LightFull sun to partial shade
• WaterVery low; strongly drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in arid, semi-arid, Mediterranean and coastal regions; tolerates light frost

Additional Features

• FormCreeping, sprawling habit that tumbles over walls and down banks rather than standing upright
• FlowersDense scarlet flower heads carried on short stems through summer
• UsesRetaining wall and raised planter spill planting, slope and rockery cover, gravel garden ground layer
• SpacingPlant 0.8 to 1 metre apart for continuous creeping cover
• Low MaintenanceCut back stems occasionally to keep the mass compact; no feeding required
• Pest ResistanceRobust where drainage is sharp
• Drought ToleranceVery high, holding form and colour through long dry periods
• Erosion ControlThe creeping stems root as they run and hold loose material on slopes and rockeries

The Mitre Aloe is the aloe to use where the design wants something to spill over an edge rather than stand up in a bed.