Varieties of aloe. The birthplace of the plant

On different continents, there are about 340 (and according to some even more) aloe species. The native land of the plant is not exactly defined, but most varieties of these succulents grow in South Africa. The very word "aloe" is of Arab origin and means nothing more than a perennial succulent plant with fleshy leaves and stems. It belongs to the family of lily. This evergreen plant is very thermophilic, with a decrease in air temperature to +4 ° C it can die.

In natural growth conditions this representative of the flora can grow up to 4 m in height. Its leaves are juicy, fleshy, reach a length of half a meter, near the base are wide, covering the stem, closer to the apex pointed and curved. They have a greenish-gray bluish color, smooth to the touch, convex from below, and flat from above. But these characteristics mainly concern only tree-like aloe. The native land of the plant is the islands of the eastern African coast and the south of the continent.

Aloe vera can grow in semi-desert and desert areas, among shrubs, and also on stony soils. In natural conditions, it annually blooms with large tubular flowers of red or orange color. The fruit ripens in the form of a cylindrical box, the seeds are much, they are grayish black.

On the windowsills, you can often find treelike aloe. The native land of the plant is South Africa, but it grows in the south-western and northern parts of the continent. This kind of aloe is decorative and quickly propagated by cuttings, no special care requirements are required. A curious variety is represented by shrubby lianas. Of these, the most common is ciliate aloe. The native land of the plant is South Africa, it has a branchy trunk, growing to 6 m in length and clinging to trees and bushes growing nearby, leaves - flat lanceolate plates.

If most species easily tolerate drought and grow in deserts and semi-deserts, then the cloud aloe prefers wet places. It grows near waterfalls, in places where there is humus, on damp rock protrusions. The homeland of Aloe Vera, still called Barbados or the present, is the Canary Islands and the Green Cape, but some naturalists consider the Arabian Peninsula and North-East Africa to be the main plant breeding ground .

A special kind is Aloe Butner. This plant has an underground bulb and grows in shrub savannas, on dry grassy slopes, feels well in places flooded with rain. All of tropical Africa is the birthplace of aloe. Small families of this family belong to the room culture. At home, a tree-like aloe is often grown, also called a century-old, awny, folded, and variegated.

The largest group consists of plants with leaves in the form of a rosette outlet, all of which amaze with a variety of appearance. The most famous representatives are the fossil and knypophyte aloe. The latter is distinguished by the largest in this genus red flowers, it is very difficult to detect it in a non-flowering state.