This pretty pink aloe plant, in our yard in Davie, Florida, is another low maintanance plant that seems to always be in bloom.[1. This plant was originally mentioned in my former blOg at davie.TV, in June 2005, when I was still the Mayor of Davie, FL. As you can see from the photos in this post, taken on July 17, 2010, our clump of aloe plants is still going strong.] All images here are fairly high resolution. Feel free to click on the photos for a closer look!

The Aloe plant is as useful as it is beautiful. The cactus like leaves have a gooey sap that’s good when applied to minor burns. Commercially it’s used in lots of stuff.

At right is another view of the pink aloe in our yard, zoomed out a bit.

Here is a photo of the whole plant. As with most aloe varieties, the flowers rise up from a stem in the center.

Finally, at right is a photo looking down at another plant of the same variety, before the flowers sprouted in the center.

FOOTNOTES:

We have two types of frangipani in our yard. One of them has yellowish, creme colored flowers. This is a picture of the one with deep red flowers. These are the flowers used in Hawaii to make the flower-garlands known as leis.

Here are a few facts, based on my personal observations:

• The tree loses ALL of it’s leaves in summer. You would be sure it was dead, if you didn’t know better.
• The flowers have a sweet fragrant smell
• The trees are extremely simple to propagate: put a broken branch in the ground. Keep it watered (or plant it in the rainy season)
• A sunny, well drained location works well.

According to Your Florida Garden, 5th ed.:[1. Your Florida Garden, 5th ed., Watkins and Wolfe, 1958, University Presses of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.]

Size 10-15 ft. Several species of frangipani are common in all tropical countries, grown for their delightfully fragrant flowers. They are all short, stocky trees of spreading habit with thick, stubby branches of soft wood, milky sap, and large, leathery leaves. The species most often seen in Florida gardens are P. rubra, with broad leaves and purplish red flowers, and P. alba, with narrow leaves rolled at the margins and white flowers. Leaves are clustered near the branch tips and flowers are borne terminally all through late spring and summer.

FOOTNOTES