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Cactus identification?

vic.martin.beKYBiy8bivic.martin.beKYBiy8bi Posts: 5
in Plants
Hi.
Can anyone help me with identifying a cactus? (Aloe or Agave family, I think, but I'm not really sure.)
It's grown sort of wild and I'd like to know how to deal with it.
Thanks.
Vic

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Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 82,258
    edited December 2022
    Hello @vic.martin.beKYBiy8bi and welcome to the forum  :)

    It looks like an Aloe Vera to me. Marvellous for treating burns in the kitchen. They can get a bit rampant.  You can cut them hard back and then trim and root the offcuts in gritty compost.  
    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • coccinellacoccinella Luxembourg Posts: 516
    I think @Dovefromabove is right. It looks like an Aloe arborescens.
    When down go out and buy a packet of seeds
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 727
    It's definitely an aloe but I don't think it's arborescens because that has stout stems. I have the exact same one and it's pretty floppy and I think aloe nobilis is a possibility.
    I tend to give mine a bit of a tidy up every so often. The old desiccated leaves can be great for annoying mealy bugs to hide in so I remover them and then in spring, chop off the top growth and root it to freshen the plant up. You will get new growth from the old parts.  
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 82,258
    My Aloe vera sprawls just like that, given the opportunity ... and I've seen very old neglected ones that were just like the one in the OP's picture.
    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • vic.martin.beKYBiy8bivic.martin.beKYBiy8bi Posts: 5
    What confuses me is that all of the plants you're all mentioning, are large. (At least that's how I see it.)
    The sprouts on mine are only about 10 cm. or so (the green part). The individual leaves about 4 cm. And that's as big as they get.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Derbyshire but with a Nottinghamshire postcode. Posts: 16,470
    The short leaved aloe is Aloe brevifolia. Have a look at that and see if it matches.
  • SkandiSkandi Northern DenmarkPosts: 1,577
    It's also possible it's small because it's bonsaied its self.
  • MikeOxgreenMikeOxgreen PenninesPosts: 606
    It's not a cacti, but a succulent.
  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,000
    edited December 2022
    At long last , someone who recognises an Aloe is not (or never will be) a cactus .
  • vic.martin.beKYBiy8bivic.martin.beKYBiy8bi Posts: 5
    edited December 2022
    @MikeOxgreen
    Thanks Mike, but do you know which one? ;-)

    I just looked. It's the same as the square/rectangle relationship.
    (Nearly) All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti.
    I learned something. ;-)
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