Guest Author - Connie Krochmal
Of all the succulent indoor plants, a handful of them are commonly grown here in America. Among these are the jade plant, kalanchoe, and the aloe.
Many people are familiar with aloe whose Latin name is Aloe vera. Various remedies containing aloe juice are available at health food stores. This plant is frequently used to treat burns. I’ve used it on sunburns as well. I prefer to keep my aloe in the kitchen where it is handy if I do happen to get a burn. So long as I treat it with aloe right after it happens I never get the slightest blister.
Aloe is a particularly beautiful plant. Though the leaves are predominantly light green, other green shades are intermingled with it to create a gorgeous mosaic of colors. Along the edges of the foliage are soft prickle-like projections or spines.
Under good growing conditions, they can be several feet in height. Sometimes you can find, dwarf variegated aloes available, but this is a description of the ordinary species plant.
In warm, frost-free areas they can be planted outdoors, and are especially suited to rock gardens. However, gardeners in cold climates will have to make do with container plants.
Those living in coastal areas may be aware the plants are resistant to salt spray.
One thing about this plant does deserve mention. Despite the fact that it is usually a carefree plant requiring very little attention, scales can make their appearance. They can usually be removed with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol. The difficulty is checking the lower sides of the leaves and within the base of the foliage where it forms a rosette.
The story of the historic aloe is a fascinating one. Humans have enjoyed these plants for thousands of years. It was mentioned on Babylonian tablets. An ancient Egyptian papyrus indicated it was used as a laxative. According to Herodotus, the ancient Greeks actually burned the dried plants in the agora or market place to control epidemics and plagues.
Around 300 B.C., Alexander the Great was urged by Aristotle to send someone to a small island near Aden where the plants grew to study the use of the plants.
Aloe is mentioned in the New Testament. In John 19:39-45, this passage deals with how Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus used myrrh and aloes. It says, “…about 100 pounds…and took the body of Jesus…and bound it in linen with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.”
The word aloe originally comes from the Arabic aloe, which means shiny in reference to the sap.
Though we may not be able to tell by looking, the aloe is related to the asparagus and lily.
Aloes are usually propagated by offsets that appear around the base of the parent plant. When these are fully rooted, gently remove these and plant them in their own pot.
Like all succulents, aloes need full sun.
