Candelabra Aloe (Aloe arborescens)

Family: Xanthorrhoeaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Candelabea Aloe, Tree Aloe, Mountain Bush Aloe. Aloe arborescens. Candelabea Aloe (Aloe arborescens) is a perennial, flowering succulent, shrub-like plant that grows up 5 m tall. It stems at or near the base and is much branched above. The long leaves are arranged in rosettes, green with a slight tint of blue in colour, and edges have small spikes. Flowers are raceme, cylindrical in shape, and red to orange in colour.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves, Shoots

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

sweet nectar. — The flowers are sucked for their sweet nectar.; In Japan the leaves are used as a vegetable and as a health food because they are thought to overcome constipation.; Parts of the stem with a number of leaves attached are marketed as a vegetable.; The plant is an important ingredient of 'Kidachi aloe candies', a popular sweet in Japan, enjoyed for its tangy yoghurt flavour.

Habitat & North American Range

Found at elevations from sea level up to 2,800 metres in montane grassland amongst rocks and in open evergreen forest, in the eastern border mountains and outliers with high local rainfall and drizzle in the dry season; also in coastal forest. (Zone 10)