About 340 (and according to some estimates even more) aloe species grow on different continents. The homeland of the plant is not precisely defined, but most varieties of these succulents grow in South Africa. The word "aloe" itself is of Arab origin and means nothing more than a perennial succulent plant with fleshy leaves and stems. It belongs to the family of liliaceae. This evergreen plant is very thermophilic, with a decrease in air temperature to +4 ° C it can die.
Under the natural conditions of growth, this representative of the flora can grow up to 4 m in height. Its leaves are juicy, fleshy, reach a length of half a meter, near the base are wide, covering the stalk, pointed and curved closer to the top. They have a greenish-blue dull color, smooth to the touch, convex below, and flat above. But these characteristics mainly relate only to tree aloe. The homeland of the plant is the islands of the east African coast and the south of the mainland.
Aloe tree can grow in semi-desert and desert areas, among shrubs, as well as on rocky soils. Under natural conditions, it blooms annually with large tubular flowers of red or orange. The fruit ripens in the form of a cylindrical box, a lot of seeds are obtained, they have a grayish-black color.
On the windowsills, you can often find a tree-like aloe. The native land of the plant is South Africa, but it grows both in the southwestern and northern parts of the continent. This type of aloe is decorative and quickly propagated by cuttings; it does not require any special care conditions. A curious variety are shrubby vines. Of these, ciliary aloe is the most common. The birthplace of the plant is South Africa, it has a branching trunk growing up to 6 m in length and clinging to trees and bushes growing nearby, leaves are flat lanceolate plates.
If most species can easily tolerate drought and grow in
deserts and semi-deserts, then aloe cloud prefers moist places. It grows near waterfalls, in places where there is humus, on the moist ledges of rocks. The homeland of
aloe Vera, also called Barbados or the present, is the Canary Islands and Cape Verde, but some naturalists consider the
Arabian Peninsula and
Northeast Africa to be the main place for the plants to grow
.A special view is Aloe Butner. This plant has an underground bulb and grows in shrub savannas, on dry grassy slopes, and feels good in places flooded by rains. All tropical Africa is the birthplace of aloe. Indoor culture belongs to small representatives of this family. At home, a tree-like aloe is often grown, also called the agave, spinous, folded, variegated.
The largest group consists of plants with leaves in the form of a basal rosette, all of them are striking in their diversity of appearance. The most famous representatives are prickly and kniphofievidnoe aloe. The latter is distinguished by the largest red flowers in this genus; in the non-flowering state it is very difficult to detect.