Aloe veraMedicinal Aloe

Few succulents are as widely recognised as Aloe vera, a clumping rosette of thick grey-green leaves with softly toothed margins and a gel-filled interior. Plants reach 0.6 to 1.0 metres and offset freely from the base, so a single specimen becomes a colony within a few seasons.

In landscape work it earns its place on hard, hot ground where irrigation is minimal, holding form through summer heat and throwing up tall racemes of tubular yellow flowers in the cooler months.

Specifications

• Height0.6 to 1.0 metres
• Width0.6 to 1.0 metres, spreading by offsets
• Native toThe Arabian Peninsula, and cultivated across the world
• FoliageThick, fleshy, lance-shaped grey-green leaves with pale toothed margins; evergreen
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilRequires sharply drained sandy or gravelly soils; will not tolerate waterlogging
• LightFull sun to partial shade
• WaterLow; highly drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in arid, semi-arid and subtropical regions

Additional Features

• FlowersTall unbranched racemes of tubular yellow flowers in the cooler months
• UsesRockeries, gravel gardens, xeriscape beds, planters and mass succulent groundlayers
• SpacingPlant 0.4 to 0.6 metres apart to allow for offsetting
• Low MaintenanceRemove spent flower stems and thin offsets occasionally; no feeding required
• Pest ResistanceGenerally resistant; scale and mealybug appear only where drainage or airflow is poor
• Drought ToleranceAmong the most reliable succulents for genuinely low-water schemes
• Cultural SignificanceCultivated for its leaf gel across the Arabian Peninsula, the Mediterranean and South Asia for centuries

Medicinal Aloe is a dependable structural succulent for arid landscapes where water is the binding constraint.