18 Types of Aloe: How to Grow Aloe Vera

Aloe is a low-maintenance succulent plant that grows well in the garden or as an indoor houseplant. The plant’s long, fleshy, blue-green leaves are attractive and contain soothing properties. The gel from aloe vera leaves is a popular remedy for sunburns and cold sores, so keeping indoor aloe vera plants is like growing a part of your own DIY first-aid kit. The aloe vera plant is native to Africa and the Arabian peninsula. Its popularity as a low-maintenance houseplant and its medicinal properties have spread far and wide.

Aloe vera is a hardy plant that needs the proper conditions to thrive:

• Well-draining potting mix. Aloe vera plants prefer drier conditions, so you’ll need to plant it in a well-draining potting mix. Unabsorbed water can cause root rot and wilting. Use a succulent- or cactus-recommended potting mix, which should feature a combination of draining elements like perlite, sand, and lava rock.
• Bright, indirect light. Aloe vera plants don’t like dark spots or direct sunlight. Place aloe vera in an area with a lot of filtered or indirect sunlight, like a shelf in the kitchen or a few feet away from a window. You can also place aloe vera near the glow of a grow light if you don’t have enough natural light in your home.
• Infrequent watering. The most common cause of death for indoor aloe vera plants is overwatering—their roots require dry conditions to grow. A good rule of thumb is to water the plant deeply every two weeks.
• Warm temperatures. Aloe vera plants are sensitive to extreme cold and extreme heat. These plants thrive in warm temperatures similar to the temperatures in most homes—between 55 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. In warmer climates, aloe vera plants can survive year-round outside in partial shade. If you live in a cold climate with especially mild summers, you can keep your aloe vera plants on your porch, but bring them indoors before cooler temperatures hit in the winter months.

There are more than three hundred different types of aloe plants that vary in appearance, care requirements, and medicinal properties. Some popular varieties of aloe plants include:

1. 1. African aloe (Aloe africana): Hailing from South Africa, this aloe is single-headed and grows along a vertical trunk with a mass of leaves on top. Drought and cold-temperature tolerant, the African aloe likes full sun and well-drained soil.
2. 2. Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis): Aloe vera, also known as medicinal aloe, is a common houseplant that features rounded, smooth, fleshy leaves that range from pale gray to vibrant green. These plants can generally grow twenty-four to forty inches tall. Aloe vera plant leaves contain a gel with anti-inflammatory compounds.
3. 3. Cape aloe (Aloe ferox): Cape aloe, also known as bitter aloe, is a tall, single-stemmed succulent that can grow up to nine feet. This drought-tolerant plant grows best in sandy or grassy dry areas. Cape aloe plants can produce tubular, red and orange flowers. The bitter inner gel has medical uses in traditional cultures, particularly as a laxative.
4. 4. Climbing aloe (Aloiampelos ciliaris): This aloe plant, formerly known as Aloe ciliaris, features thin leaves and can climb structures and plants. Climbing aloe is fast-growing, and gardeners and hummingbirds favor its eye-catching orange-red flowers.
5. 5. Coral aloe (Aloe striata): Coral aloe has broad, flat leaves with gray and reddish edges. The red-orange flowers give this aloe plant its common name. Coral aloe can grow up to two-feet wide, and eighteen inches tall.
6. 6. Fan aloe (Aloe plicatilis): This aloe plant gets its name from its unusual, fan-like leaf arrangement. Fan aloe grows best in arid gardens. It is deer resistant and has slender, blue-green foliage and orange flowers.
7. 7. Gold tooth aloe (Aloe nobilis): Gold tooth aloe, also known as golden tooth aloe or gold-toothed aloe, is eye-catching with densely packed clusters of rose-tipped green leaves. The edges of the leaves feature pale yellow spikes. This plant grows best in full sun and can reach approximately one foot in height, making it great potted succulent.
8. 8. Lace aloe (Aloe aristata): This succulent is popular for desert gardens. The dark green leaves feature tiny white bumps, spines, and lacy edges and form in a rosette. Lace aloe pants are small but hardy and can even tolerate near-freezing temperatures. Lace aloe resembles haworthia plants.
9. 9. Mountain aloe (Aloe marlothii): This flowering aloe plant thrives in arid conditions and can grow up to ten feet tall. Mountain aloe features a dense crown of spine-covered leaves, and the plant often retains old, desiccated leaves. Mountain aloe blooms in the wintertime, showing off a display of beautiful red and yellow flowers.
10. 10. Red aloe (Aloe Cameronii): This evergreen plant has distinct red, narrow, sharp-edged leaves and open rosettes. Red aloe is an adaptive variety of aloe that can grow in hot or cold climates and humid or dry environments.
11. 11. Red hot poker aloe (Aloe aculeata): This variety of aloe is notable for the spines, which originate from the tuberculate base. Red hot poker aloe, also known as ngopanie or sekopecan, can grow up to four feet and bloom in a bright pink mass of flowers at the end of winter.
12. 12. Short-leaved aloe (Aloe brevifolia): This aloe plant, also known as short-leaf aloe, is native to the Western cape of South Africa. You can cultivate this plant in hot, arid climates worldwide, particularly in rock gardens. The plant is relatively small, with stubby, tight-packed leaves that work well for ground cover. The leaves feature small white teeth; these spines are fleshy and safe to touch.
13. 13. Snake aloe (Aloe broomii): Snake aloe features large, thin leaves with sharp spines that form a dense rosette. This type of aloe can grow three feet wide, making it an excellent border plant.
14. 14. Soap aloe (Aloe maculata): This type of aloe plant is medium-sized, with sharp spines and light-colored speckles on the leaves. You can use the leaf extract from A. maculata as a natural soap.
15. 15. Spiral aloe (Aloe polyphylla): This evergreen succulent is prized and protected in its natural habitat of South Africa. This is a small, compact aloe plant, with a spiral shape. The spiral formation of its tightly-packed, sharp-edged leaves is an attractive addition to gardens in warm climates.
16. 16. Sunset aloe (Aloe dorotheae): This is an attractive, medium-sized aloe variety. Sunset aloe can grow up to a foot tall and two feet wide, with small white dots and prominent spines along the edges of the leaves. The leaves will turn reddish-brown in full sun, while they will be a vibrant green in partial shade. The yellow, tubular flowers form an eye-catching display when in bloom.
17. 17. Tiger tooth aloe (Aloe juvenna): Tiger tooth aloe is a small, branching variety of aloe with tight, short leaves with tiny white spots. The spines are not as sharp as those on other types of aloe, despite their toothlike appearance. You can propagate tiger tooth aloe plants with offsets—tiny, new plants that grow off the original plant's roots.
18. 18. Torch aloe (Aloe arborescens): Torch aloe, also known as tree aloe or krantz aloe, is an excellent choice for an ornamental plant. The slender, sword-shaped leaves grow thick, with terminal spikes that produce orangish-red flowers.

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