Beautiful, but are you sure it isn't a bunch of bananas?

My question is, what is striatula doing blooming in February? I've had one in the ground for 8 years, and it has reliably bloomed every summer! My books also describe it as a summer bloomer... I guess chalk it up to this being a weird bloom year for everything!

Oh, and Borrego, this is one of the finest true yellow aloes! If you don't have it, I can send you a piece...

Dear Bisan,

Yes, I'm sure, because time flies like an arrow - fruit flies like a banana, as the estimable Mr. Groucho Marx noted.

Dear Patrick,

It's flowered at this time the last few years. Which books are you referring to? I don't know the country of origin for this Aloe, but my guess is South Africa. Does yours look like mine?

Dear Jeff,

Yes, mine looks just like yours. (Ooh, that sounds kind of racy.) I just checked my plant again to be sure, and there's not a suggestion of a bud on it. Van Wyk's "Guide to the Aloes of South Africa" says striatula blooms "November through January" - which of course is summer down there, so we would reverse that.

Maybe we could trade pieces, and we'd both get two blooms a year!

"Your Honor, Jeff is intentionally flaunting photos of yellow flowering aloes, knowing full well it is the color of aloe flowers I most desire."
"Mr. Borrego, what is your intent of this complaint? What are you going to do if Patrick starts when Jeff stops?"
"Your Honor, I dunno. Enjoy them, I guess."

I am not a collector of aloes (yet) but I do have a few and if you continue to demonstrate the wonderful variety and beauty of aloes I am not sure that I will be able to continue to ignore them.

Please, have some mercy on me, as I am an admitted cactiholic and the only thing that saves me from my addiction is that I do not live in a country where they are readily available - I do not want to become an aloeholic but I am being sorely tempted.

Aloe striatula, you say? Hmmmm....

Very nice indeed!