Aloe vera

MORPHOLOGY

A. vera is a stemless or very short-stemmed succulent plant growing to 60–100 cm (24–39 in) tall, spreading by offsets. Mature plant can grow as tall as 2 m with the average being around 1 m in length. Each plant usually has 12 to 6 leaves, that when mature, may weigh up to 1 to 1.5 kg. The leaves are lanceolate, thick and fleshy, green to grey-green, with some varieties showing white flecks on the upper and lower leaf surfaces. The margin of the leaf is serrated and has small white teeth. The flowers are produced in summer on a spike up to 90 cm (35 in) tall, each flower pendulous, with a yellow tubular corolla 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in) long. The tissue in the center of the aloe leaf contains a gel which yields aloe gel or aloe vera gel. Like other Aloe species, A. vera forms arbuscular mycorrhiza, a symbiosis that allows the plant better access to mineral nutrients in soil.