Aloe/Agave id please

[meanie]

I bought this from Lidl a couple of years ago for a couple of quid. It was in a small pot but now stands 26cm tall and has a 25cm span. Rather hardy as it has survived the big freeze I suffered in the greenhouse this winter.
Plenty of photos to help but if you need any more just ask.








Thanks in anticipation.

[Maggi Young]

I posted a link to this in the succulent plants thread - got this :

 

Friend says it looks like a juvenile Aloe ferox.  Johnw

 An alternative might be Aloe marlothii - but I think that  a young A. ferox  is likely to have that look of pustules behind the spines ? 

[meanie]

I posted a link to this in the succulent plants thread - got this :

 
 An alternative might be Aloe marlothii - but I think that  a young A. ferox  is likely to have that look of pustules behind the spines ? 

Thanks - I wasn't too sure where to go with it.

[meanie]

I posted a link to this in the succulent plants thread - got this :

 
 An alternative might be Aloe marlothii - but I think that  a young A. ferox  is likely to have that look of pustules behind the spines ? 

Both those ids came up on another forum.
A.marlothii could be a problem............

"Description of Aloe marlothii:
Stem:   Stems are solitary and may reach a height of up to 6 meters in height, the average specimen only reaches between 2m - 4m in height"

http://www.succulents.co.za/aloes/single-stemmed-aloes/aloe-marlothii.php

[Maggi Young]

A. ferox gets to be pretty meaty too - though not as big ..... you better brush up your bonsai techniques!

[meanie]

A. ferox gets to be pretty meaty too - though not as big ..... you better brush up your bonsai techniques!

I guess that'll teach me not to buy a "small succulent" from Lidl then! 

[meanie]

I now have another possible id................

"It's Aloe aculeata

The white base to the brown thorns are distinctive

It forms a rosette about a metre wide with leaves a metre or so tall.
A spike of orange flowers is produced in winter, when it is big enough."

[Matt T]

I had one identical years ago. When it got too big for the window sill I planted it outside in my front garden in Southampton, south facing and pure builders rubble/sand, where it did very well.

[johnw]

I now have another possible id................
"It's Aloe aculeata
The white base to the brown thorns are distinctive"

That certainly feels and fits better.  How lucky to have landed the hardiest one, that doesn't happen often.

johnw

[meanie]

I had one identical years ago. When it got too big for the window sill I planted it outside in my front garden in Southampton, south facing and pure builders rubble/sand, where it did very well.

That sounds attractive but I'm not sure that rural Oxfordshire is as mild as coastal Southampton.

That certainly feels and fits better.  How lucky to have landed the hardiest one, that doesn't happen often.

johnw

As much as I dislike buying plants from supermarkets when our independent nurseries need our custom Lidl is one exception I do make. Their plants tend to be based on mainland European tastes so over the last two or three years I've had some crackers out of Lidl. The latest is Passiflora alata for £1.99!