Synonyms:

No synonyms are recorded for this species name.

Habitat:

Being a nursery hybrid, it doesn’t exist in nature.

Description:

Gasteraloe ‘Royal Princess’ is a nursery hybrid obtained between Gasteria batesiana and Aloe aristata. The result is a little, rosette-forming plant, highly decorative and easy to manage. The rosettes are usually small (around 10/20 centimeters in diameter), of dark green, stiff leaves, rigid and strong. Like any Gasteraloe, ‘Royal Princess’ inherits from Gasteria the white little bumps on the surface of its leaves, that become more dense at leaves edges. Also, leaves have an apical point called, in botany, “mucrone”. Inflorescences, when present, sprout from the center of the rosettes on an elongated, dark stalk, bearing small, bell-shaped flowers, not tubular like Aloe’s ones but, indeed, more spherical. They don«t produce fertile seeds, as all Gasteraloes are hybrids. The colours of the flowers are usually orange to coral pink.

Cultivation:

Gasteraloe ‘Royal Princess’ is a slow-growing but easy to grow plant, like all Gasteraloes. Here below are our tips:

Gasteraloes usually require a bright spot, exposed to direct sunlight in early morning and late afternoon, but shaded during the hottest hours, especially in Summer. G. “Royal Princess”, though, is a shade lover: put it in a place which stays shaded for most of the day. Gasteraloe “Royal Princess” is particularly frost-sensitive: it should never stay at temperatures below 0ºC. We recommend to put it indoors in Winter, also to protect its root from rotting due to the humidity of temperate Winter climates.
Water regularly in summer, like once every 4-5 days, and gradually decrease the irrigation frequency as the Autumn approaches, to stop completely any watering during the Winter.
Choose a well-draining soil: a standard mix for cacti and succulents will do good.
Fertilization can be carried out once a year with a specific product for succulent, rich in Potassium and Phosphorus and poor in Nitrogen, to ensure a healthy growth of the plant.
Gasteraloes in general have a slow growth rate: repot, anyway, whenever the plant outgrows its pot and, in general, at least once every two years to ensure the input of fresh soil.

Propagation:

Being hybrids, we advise to use cuttings as a propagation method. In particular, leaf cuttings work well for these plant: peel off a leaf as close to the base of the plant as possible and root it after leaving it to dry for a few days. These few days are necessary for the plant to form a callous on the wound and to ensure a healthy rooting process. The propagation of G. ‘Royal princess’ by seed is only possible if you obtain an artificial pollination between the two specific species of Aloe and Gasteria that are the “parents” of Gasteraloe “Royal Princess”: Gasteria batesiana and Aloe aristata.

Curiosity:

Gasteraloe ‘Royal Princess’ is actually a hybrid between Gasteria batesiana and Aloe aristata. Some put an “X” in labels before the species names, to indicate that it is a hybrid.

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www.giromagi.com

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www.giromagicactus.com

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