Aloe barbadensis     
Aloe vera   
Liliaceae Family     

Form: clump-forming succulent, leaves in rosette
Seasonality: evergreen
Size: to 18in, offsets form colony with spread of 6ft or more
Leaves: dusty green plump points, toothed margin
Flowers: spike emerging above foliage to 3ft tall; yellow or orange tubular flowers in arrow-shaped cluster; bloom in spring and sporadically
Fruit: not significant
Stems/Trunks: n/a
Range/Origin: Mediterranean and Africa
Hardiness: damaged at 32°F

clump of Aloe barbadensis in bloom

LANDSCAPE VALUE:

• accent or specimen
• low-maintenance color
• good in containers
• rock gardens

CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Exposure: full sun to part shade
• Water: natural rainfall; better appearance and growth on 1-2 irrigations in hot season
• Soil: adaptable, good drainage
• Propagation: offsets, easy
• Maintenance: removal of dead flowering stalks, thin colony as desired

detail of flower stalk

NOTES:

aka Medicinal aloe

some references are using Aloe vera as the botanical name
damaged by freezing in low-lying (wash) areas of Tucson
more formal and more upright than Aloe saponaria
thick sap from leaves has medicinal and cosmetic uses

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This page was first created June 23, 2001 and last modified April 18, 2005.

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Web page design and photographs by Toni Moore, Master Gardener
email to: tmoore1@flash.net

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