Aloe vera

HISTORY

Aloes are members of Liliaceae and are mostly succulents with a whorl of elongated, pointed leaves. There are over 360 accepted species. Some species are tree-like with long stems, while others are small, with their leaves at ground level .

The genus name was derived from the Arabic alloeh meaning "bitter" because of the bitter liquid found in the leaves. The species name vera means true or genuine. Some literature identifies the white spotted form of A. vera as A. vera var. chinensis, however, the species varies widely with regard to leaf The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 as Aloe perfoliata var. vera, and was described again, twice, in 1768 by Nicolaas Laurens Burman and Philip Miller. Burman described the species as Aloe vera in Flora Indica on the 6th of April, 1768 while Miller described the species as Aloe barbadensis some ten days later in the Gardener's Dictionary.