Aloe vera

Profile

Family

Agavaceae

Habit

perennial

Height

0.8 m

Spread

1.2 m

Growth

very slow

Lifespan

25 years

First yield

after 1 year

Hardiness

zone 10–11

Shade tolerance

full sun

Soil

Sand, Silt

Soil moisture

very dry – moist

pH

5.6 – 7.6

Synonyms

A. barbadensis. Mill.

Uses

Edible: Leaves – cooked. Very bitter, they serve as emergency food and are used only in extreme emergencies. A gel inside the leaves is occasionally used as an ingredient for jams. Seeds. An emergency food, used only in extreme emergencies. It is very unlikely that the seeds will be produced in Britain.

Medicinal: Obwohl für diese Art keine spezifischen medizinischen Anwendungen beschrieben wurden, gelten Mitglieder dieser Gattung im Allgemeinen als sehr gesunde Bereicherung der Ernährung. Sie enthalten Schwefelverbindungen (die ihnen ihren Zwiebelgeschmack verleihen) und tragen bei regelmäßigem Verzehr zur Senkung des Cholesterinspiegels bei, wirken tonisierend auf das Verdauungssystem und stärken den Kreislauf.

Other uses: The leaf extracts are used in skin care products. The plants are grown in pots indoors to filter pollutants from the air. They are also unusual in that they continue to release oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide even in the dark, making them excellent for growing in the bedroom.

Growing

This plant requires a well-drained soil and a very sunny position. It also copes with nutrient-poor soils. If you want to cultivate this plant outdoors, it needs the sunniest and warmest spot in the garden as well as some protection from winter cold (e.g. a glass case). This species is not very hardy outdoors in Britain. It is best cultivated in a pot that is placed outdoors in summer and brought into a greenhouse in winter. It thrives very well on a sunny windowsill.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a warm greenhouse. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 6 months at 16°c. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots of very well-drained soil when they are large enough to handle. Grow them on in a sunny part of the greenhouse for at least their first two winters. If trying them outdoors then plant them out in early summer to allow them to become established before the winter, and give them some protection from the cold in winter[K]. Division of offsets when available, usually in spring. The plants produce offsets quite freely and they can be divided at any time of the year as long as it is warm enough to encourage fresh root growth to allow re-establishment of the plants[K]. Pot up and grow on in the greenhouse until established.

Origin & habitat

Europe - Mediterranean.

Maritime sands and rocks.

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