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Aloe vera (L.) Burm.F.

Barbados aloe (en), Aloès des Barbades (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Asphodelaceae > Aloe

Characteristics

Plants with very short stems, freely suckering, forming large clumps. Leaves c. 16, erect to slightly spreading, ensiform, 40-60 cm long; adaxial surface grey-green to light-green with few to many spots; abaxial surface generally lighter; margins with pale teeth c. 2 mm long. Inflorescence simple or with 1 or 2 branches, 0.6-1 m tall; scape subtended by deltoid bracts 7-8 mm long. Racemes 30-40 cm long, 5-6 cm wide; flowers crowded; bracts ovate-acuminate, c. 8 mm long; pedicels c. 6 mm long. Perianth cylindrical, slightly swollen, basally obconical, 25-30 mm long, yellow, orange or red; sepals and petals obtuse, cohering for one-third their length. Stigma exserted 5 mm. Capsule 1.2-1.5 cm long. Seeds not seen.
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A perennial succulent plant 80 cm high. It spreads to 1 m wide. It develops suckers. The leaves form a rosette or ring just above the ground. They are fleshy and long. They are curved outwards or rounded underneath. They taper to a blunt point. They are smooth and pale green. There are white blotches on the leaves and prickles along the edges. The flowers are yellow or orange. They are 25-30 mm long. They hang down. The fruit is a capsule with angular seeds.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 0.75 - 1.0
Mature height (meter) 0.55 - 0.9
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 1.5
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway cam

Environment

A tropical and subtropical plant. It grows naturally on seaside sands and amongst rocks in the Mediterranean. In Nepal it grows to about 1400 m altitude. It needs a temperature above 10°C. It suits hardiness zones 9-12. In Yunnan.
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Maritime sands and rocks.
Maritime sands and rocks.
Light 6-8
Soil humidity 2-6
Soil texture 3-5
Soil acidity 2-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-11

Usage

The leaves are used as an emergency food only. The seed are used as an emergency food only. A gel in the leaves has been used in jellies. CAUTION:
Uses environmental use fiber food gene source material medicinal ornamental poison social use
Edible flowers leaves seeds
Therapeutic use Dyspepsia (leaf), Abdominal pain (rhizome), Abdominal neoplasms (leaf), Abdominal pain (leaf), Abortifacient agents (leaf), Abscess (leaf), Amenorrhea (leaf), Analgesics (leaf), Antifungal agents (leaf), Anti-infective agents (leaf), Anti-inflammatory agents (leaf), Antineoplastic agents (leaf), Antioxidants (leaf), Antipyretics (leaf), Antirheumatic agents (leaf), Atherosclerosis (leaf), Bronchitis (leaf), Burns (leaf), Carbuncle (leaf), Cathartics (leaf), Colic (leaf), Common cold (leaf), Constipation (leaf), Contraceptive agents (leaf), Cough (leaf), Diabetes mellitus (leaf), Digestive system diseases (leaf), Diuretics (leaf), Dizziness (leaf), Dysmenorrhea (leaf), Edema (leaf), Fever (leaf), Flatulence (leaf), Furunculosis (leaf), Gastrointestinal diseases (leaf), Gonorrhea (leaf), Headache (leaf), Hemorrhoids (leaf), Hepatomegaly (leaf), Hypoglycemic agents (leaf), Hypolipidemic agents (leaf), Immunomodulation (leaf), Jaundice (leaf), Liver diseases (leaf), Low back pain (leaf), Lymphadenitis (leaf), Menstruation disturbances (leaf), Menstruation-inducing agents (leaf), Neoplasms (leaf), Oxytocics (leaf), Radiation-protective agents (leaf), General tonic for rejuvenation (leaf), Sciatica (leaf), Skin diseases (leaf), Splenic diseases (leaf), Splenomegaly (leaf), Stomach diseases (leaf), Stomatitis, aphthous (leaf), Ulcer (leaf), Wound healing (leaf), Rheumatoid arthritis (leaf), Inflammation (plant exudate), Anti-inflammatory agents (rhizome), Antipyretics (rhizome), Flatulence (rhizome), Abdominal pain (root), Anti-inflammatory agents (root), Antipyretics (root), Colic (root), Flatulence (root), Anti-bacterial agents (stem), Dysentery (stem), Inflammation (stem), Pain (stem), Abortifacient (unspecified), Amenorrhea (unspecified), Antiseptic (unspecified), Asthma (unspecified), Boil (unspecified), Bruise (unspecified), Burn (unspecified), Burn(Radiation) (unspecified), Cancer(Stomach) (unspecified), Cathartic (unspecified), Cholagogue (unspecified), Cold (unspecified), Cough (unspecified), Depurative (unspecified), Digestive (unspecified), Dyspepsia (unspecified), Emmenagogue (unspecified), Emollient (unspecified), Erysipelas (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Hemorrhage (unspecified), Hepatitis (unspecified), Hysteria (unspecified), Inflammation (unspecified), Insecticide (unspecified), Internulcer (unspecified), Intestine (unspecified), Jaundice (unspecified), Lash (unspecified), Laxative (unspecified), Leukemia (unspecified), Piles (unspecified), Purgative (unspecified), Rectitis (unspecified), Sore (unspecified), Stimulant (unspecified), Stomachic (unspecified), Sunburn (unspecified), Swelling (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified), Tumor (unspecified), Ulcer (unspecified), Venereal (unspecified), Vermifuge (unspecified), Weaning (unspecified), Wound (unspecified), Decoagulant (unspecified), Demulcent (unspecified), Ecbolic (unspecified), Stomach (unspecified), Alopecia (unspecified), Aperient (unspecified), Chest (unspecified), Congestion (unspecified), Eczema (unspecified), Excrescence (unspecified), Gonorrhea (unspecified), Headache (unspecified), Pregnancy (unspecified), Skin (unspecified), Tuberculosis (unspecified), Convulsion (unspecified), Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (unspecified), Hair loss (unspecified), Anemia (unspecified), Anthelmintics (unspecified), Antihypertensive agents (unspecified), Anti-inflammatory agents (unspecified), Antinematodal agents (unspecified), Antineoplastic agents (unspecified), Aphrodisiacs (unspecified), Appendicitis (unspecified), Appetite stimulants (unspecified), Arthritis (unspecified), Asthenia (unspecified), Atherosclerosis (unspecified), Burns (unspecified), Cardiomyopathies (unspecified), Cathartics (unspecified), Colic (unspecified), Colitis, ulcerative (unspecified), Common cold (unspecified), Constipation (unspecified), Dentifrices (unspecified), Dermatitis (unspecified), Digestive system diseases (unspecified), Dysmenorrhea (unspecified), Dysuria (unspecified), Ear diseases (unspecified), Edema (unspecified), Endophthalmitis (unspecified), Eye diseases (unspecified), Female urogenital diseases (unspecified), Fissure in ano (unspecified), Flatulence (unspecified), Gingivitis (unspecified), Glaucoma (unspecified), Helminthiasis (unspecified), Hemophilia a (unspecified), Hemorrhoids (unspecified), Hemostatics (unspecified), Hepatomegaly (unspecified), Hypercholesterolemia (unspecified), Hypoglycemic agents (unspecified), Infection (unspecified), Insect bites and stings (unspecified), Intestinal diseases (unspecified), Intestinal diseases, parasitic (unspecified), Leishmaniasis (unspecified), Leprosy (unspecified), Liver diseases (unspecified), Menstruation disturbances (unspecified), Menstruation-inducing agents (unspecified), Neoplasms (unspecified), Ointments (unspecified), Premenstrual syndrome (unspecified), Skin diseases (unspecified), Skin diseases, infectious (unspecified), Splenomegaly (unspecified), Uterine diseases (unspecified), Wound healing (unspecified), Wounds and injuries (unspecified), Cooling effect on body (unspecified), Antirheumatic agents (whole plant), Cathartics (whole plant), Fever (whole plant), Fissure in ano (whole plant), Gonorrhea (whole plant), Hemorrhoids (whole plant), Jaundice (whole plant), Laxatives (whole plant), Liver diseases (whole plant), Menstruation disturbances (whole plant), Nausea (whole plant), Splenic diseases (whole plant), Thrombocytopenia (whole plant)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seed. The seed usually germinates in 1-6 months at 16°C. They need to be grown in a sunny nursery for 2 years. Plants can be grown by division or offsets.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) 30 - 180
Germination temperacture (C°) 21
Germination luminosity light
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -12
Optimum temperature (C°) 19 - 27
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Aloe vera habit picture by Gabriel Ollivier (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Aloe vera leaf picture by Pascal Lourenco (cc-by-sa)
Aloe vera leaf picture by baba Ali (cc-by-sa)
Aloe vera leaf picture by Aline SE (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Aloe vera flower picture by pg emilio (cc-by-sa)
Aloe vera flower picture by Pascl Dew (cc-by-sa)
Aloe vera flower picture by José Manuel Bustillos (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Aloe vera fruit picture by Cardo azul (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Aloe vera world distribution map, present in Aruba, Australia, Bangladesh, Bahamas, Bermuda, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Dominica, Algeria, Ecuador, Spain, Ethiopia, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Libya, Morocco, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Palau, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Réunion, Saudi Arabia, Turks and Caicos Islands, Thailand, Tunisia, United States of America, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), and Yemen

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:530017-1
WFO ID wfo-0000758976
COL ID C46V
BDTFX ID 85648
INPN ID 639239
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Aloe barbadensis Aloe chinensis Aloe flava Aloe indica Aloe rubescens Aloe vulgaris Aloe elongata Aloe variegata Aloe barbadensis var. chinensis Aloe perfoliata var. barbadensis Aloe perfoliata var. vera Aloe vera var. chinensis Aloe vera var. lanzae Aloe vera var. littoralis Aloe lanzae Aloe vera

Lower taxons

Aloe maculata subsp. ficksburgensis
WorldFloraDB 2024