can anyone tell me what kind of cactus this is?

I have one of those, too. It's not a cactus at all, it's an aloe. I'm not sure exactly what kind, but I think (at least from the tag mine came with) that it's a aloe ferox.

Melinda

cool! thanx for the reply and you are right, it is an aloe ferox

do you have any suggestions on how to take care of it? i'm in chicagoland area so i can not plant it outside. besides, it is tiny right now and sitting on my computer at work. anything i should know? i couldn't find any real information on it except that it's good for a rock garden and good for medicinal purposes... all i want to do is to grow it well and hopefully not have it grow too big, like those huge ones in the gardens...

I can't plant mine outside where I am either and mine's pretty small right now, too. I just have it in a small pot (~ 4 in.)potted with cacti and succulent soil. Just water when the soil is dry, and give it plenty of sunshine, and it should be happy.

It's supposed to be a tree aloe, and will get pretty big if given the room to grow and the right conditions. I think, (but could be wrong) that if you leave it in a smaller pot that it won't get as big as fast.

Hopefully someone will come along and correct me if I'm wrong. There are a lot of people who are WAY more knowledgable than I am....aloes are a new addiction for me.

Melinda