Aloe, Barbados Aloe, Kitchen Aloe
Aloe vera
Interior Succulents
If your childhood didn't involve cutting a leaf from your grandparents' aloe vera plant and smearing the juice on a burn or cut, then we strongly advise acquiring one now to make up for lost time. While it can be treated as an outdoor annual in our area, it's commonly grown as an interior potted perennial for its ease of care and minor soothing properties.
(Detailed plant information can be found at the bottom of the page.)
Aloe vera Photo Gallery
Aloe vera Plant Information
| Classification | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name: | Aloe vera |
| Common Name: | aloe Barbados aloe kitchen aloe |
| Family: | Aloaceae |
| Suggested Uses: | container plantings, herbs |
| Characteristics | |
| Plant Form: | upright, curved |
| Height: | 12 - 36 inches |
| Spread: | 12 - 36 inches |
| Foliage: | clustering rosettes of thick, succulent, leathery, straplike leaves of 6-24 inches leaves are green with white dots and are edged with spines coarse-textured foliage |
| Flower: | yellow bell-like flowers, but rarely blooms when pot-grown |
| Bloom Period: | Winter |
| Environment | |
| Light Requirement: | high - medium exposure |
| Water: | low water requirement |
| Soil: | well-drained soil drought-tolerant allow soil to become dry between waterings |
| Heat Tolerance: | high heat tolerance |
| USDA Zone: | zones 9 - 11 |
| Native Range: | North Africa |
| Care | |
| Maintenance: | requires little care move inside in temperatures below 50 degrees propagation by stem cuttings |
| Pests & Pathology: | susceptible to root rot bacterial leaf spots in overly moist conditions |
| Additional Notes: | common indoor potted plant perennial grown as an annual when outdoors tolerates salt bitter yellow juice in leaves used in cosmetics and ointments |
TTU Plant Resources
-
Address
Texas Tech University, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Box 42122, Lubbock, TX 79409 -
Phone
806.742.2838 -
Email
Melanie.Jackson@ttu.edu