Origin and Habitat: South Africa (Western Cape, Eastern Cape)
Habitat: Grows in the transitional zone in South Africa between summer and winter rainfall areas - the best area from which succulents come.

• Aloe humilis (L.) Mill.
• Aloe perfoliata var. humilis L.
• Catevala humilis (L.) Medik.

• Aloe humilis (L.) Mill.
• Aloe perfoliata var. humilis L.
• Catevala humilis (L.) Medik.
• Aloe acuminata Haw.
• Aloe acuminata var. major Salm-Dyck
• Aloe echinata Willd.
• Aloe humilis var. acuminata Baker
• Aloe acuminata Haw.
• Aloe humilis var. candollei Baker
• Aloe humilis var. echinata (Willd.) Baker
• Aloe echinata Willd.
• Aloe humilis var. incurvata Haw.
• Aloe incurva (Haw.) Haw.
• Aloe humilis var. macilenta Baker
• Aloe macilenta (Baker) G.Nicholson
• Aloe humilis var. suberecta (Aiton) Baker
• Aloe perfoliata var. suberecta Aiton
• Aloe suberecta (Aiton) Haw.
• Aloe humilis var. subtuberculata (Haw.) Baker
• Aloe humilis subvar. minor Salm-Dyck
• Aloe humilis subvar. semiguttata Haw.
• Aloe incurva Haw.
• Aloe subtuberculata Haw.
• Aloe tuberculata Haw.
• Aloe verrucosospinosa All.
• Aloe virens subs. macilenta Baker
• Haworthia fasciata var. armata Poelln.
• Haworthia ferox Poelln.

Description: Aloe humilis is a low growing heavily suckering succulent that forms crowded clusters. This clustering aloe is a wonderful little species that has very large blooms compared to the size of the plant. It is a very variable species that remains small through the entire life cycle .
Stem: Virtually acaulescent (stemless) or very shortly stemmed.
Rosettes: Up to 20 cm in diameter.
Leaves: 20-30 per rosette, short, ascending, small about 7-12 cm long and 1-1,8 cm wide, pale blue-green or grey-green, soft, ovate to triangular shaped, obscurely lineate, very accuminate, incurved, with thin soft white marginal spines about 3 mm long and a gray-green dewy, waxy surface covered with irregularly spaced bumps (tubercules) often arranged in tranverse rows on both the upper and lower surfaces.
Flowers: About 20 pendulous, bright orange-scarlet, tubular up to 4-5 cm long, arranged loosely on top of a 20-35 cm tall spike.
Blooming season: Late winter to spring and sometime later.
Chromosome number: 2n = 14.

Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Urs Eggli “Illustrated Handbook of Suculent Plants: Monocotyledons” Springer, 2001.
2) Susan Carter, John J. Lavranos, Leonard E. Newton, Colin C. Walker “Aloes. The definitive guide” Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 2011
3) Court, D, 1981. “Succulent flora of Southern Africa” Balkema, Cape Town.
4) Gordon D. Rowley “The illustrated encyclopedia of succulents” Crown Publishers, 01/Aug/1978
5) Leistner, O.A. 2005. “Seed plants of southern tropical Africa” SABONET, Pretoria.
6) Nichols, G. 2005. “Growing rare plants, a practical handbook on propagating the treatened plants of southern Africa” Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 36. SABONET, Pretoria.
7) Reynolds, G.W. 1950. “The aloes of South Africa” The Aloes of South Africa Book Fund, Johannesburg.
8) Van Jaarsveld, E., Van Wyk, B-E. & Smith, G. 2000. “Succulents of South Africa” Cape Town , Tafelberg
9) Hans Bornman, David S. Hardy “Aloes of the South African veld” Voortrekkerpers, 1971
10) Barbara Jeppe “South African aloes” Purnell, 1974
11) Ben-Erik Van Wyk, Gideon Smith “Guide to the Aloes of South Africa” Briza Publ., 1996.
12) Van Wyk, B-E. & Smith, G. 1996. “Guide to the aloes of South Africa” Briza Publications, Pretoria.
13) Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton: "Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names." Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg 2010
14) Moran, R. “Aloe wild in California.” Cact. Succ. J. (Los Angeles) 64: 55-56.1992
15) Walter C. Holmes & Heather L. White “Aloaceae” in: “Flora of North America” Volume 8. on line <http://www.efloras.org>
16) Forest & Kim Starr “Aloe humilis (hedgehog aloe, spider aloe, crocofile jaws)”. Plants of Hawaii. <http://www.starrenvironmental.com>. Web. 27 Sep. 2014.
17) San Marcos Growers contributors “Aloe humilis” San Marcos Growers <http://www.smgrowers.com>. Web. 27 Sep. 2014.

Cultivation and Propagation: Easy to grow, requiring very little care. It can be grown in large containers. Always use a good quality, loamy sandy soil with plenty of drainage chips at the bottom of containers. It tolerates weekly watering in the summer; once a month, or not at all in the colder months of December and January. Can withstand long periods of drought, but they will thrive and flower more profusely if watered in the correct season. Incorrect watering, poor drainage or too much shade can lead to attack by pests and diseases. They can take a few degrees of frost in winter as well, but prefer hot summers. It grows much better outdoors in spring and summer.
In mild climates it can be cultivated outdoors for use in landscaping, preferably planting it in hot and dry rock gardens. They will grow best in regions with a climate close to that of their native deserts not too cold, and not too wet.
Propagation: Almost exclusively by division of larger clumps, in trays of coarse river sand.

Uses:
Gardening: Excellent on patio or as landscape or rock garden subject. This is a great aloe for rocky, exposed areas of the garden where you want some non-green colour.