You Had Me At Aloe

For those of you who are new to our blog, welcome! We are so excited that you came to check us out, and we hope you decide to stay a while! Now for those of you who are regulars here on the site… welcome back SUCCAS! I am so glad that you have been enjoying our posts enough to come back again! Whether you are a first timer on here or a seasoned pro, I am sure that you noticed our cute and punny blog name, which just so happens to also be the title of this post! But that is no coincidence my friends. I noticed that throughout all of my posts on this blog, I had yet to talk about the succulent that this entire blog is centered around… ALOE PLANTS! This realization was shocking to me because it was one of the few succulents that us bloggers actually knew about coming into this, and I have not even touched on it yet!

There is so much to learn about this plant that we cannot possibly discuss all of it in-depth, so what you can expect from this post is basically a crash course on all things aloe, with a focus on what I feel are the most important topics to know. We are going to discover a few of the different kinds of aloe plants, the difference between aloe and Aloe Vera, what Aloe Vera plants can be used for, and so much more. But enough of us talking about it, let’s jump right in!

To start us off, let’s cover the basics. Did you know that there is no succulent that is simply called an “aloe plant”? “Aloe” is scientifically classified as a genus, which is not the most specific classification. This means that “aloe” is an umbrella term that contains over 500 species of aloe plants under it, each with their super special characteristics that are totally unique to them. People so often mistake all aloe plants as the same, when in reality, they are as different as we know flowers to be!

One of the most distinguishable aloe plants is Aloe Aculeata. It is recognized by the tiny clay-colored thorns that cover its leaves, and therefore is often referred to as “Prickly Aloe”. This succulent is definitely made for the outdoors though, considering it can grow up to two feet tall and four feet wide! Aloe Aculeata thrives best in all climates, but it usually has to be in a rocky type of soil. All this talk about thorns and rocks does not mean this plant isn’t still beautiful though! It grows masses of bright pink flowers between August and October, taking it from a scary, thorny plant all the way to a blossoming beauty, making its classification of “distinguishable” one with merit.

Moving on, Aloe Polyphylla is an aloe plant that is extremely rare. Its nickname is “Spiral Aloe” for its stunning spiral shape, but sadly this beautiful sight may not be able to be gawked at for much longer. The stemless succulent is now a protected species in its native land of South Africa, making the rest of us fear for its continued existence. Aloe Polyphylla is in particular danger because it is not only lessening in population, but it is extremely difficult to grow, making the challenge of re-populating land with it even more difficult. Aloe Polyphylla grows in well-drained soil and does best on a steep slope in light shade with moderate temperatures. The clear specifics of this plant are what contribute to its fleeting popularity and population, but hopefully some awareness and real effort can save these beautiful succs!

One of the most common aloe plants is the one we are going to talk about next: Aloe Brevifolia. This little guy is also known as “Short-Leaf Aloe”, for its small, triangular leaves lines with white spikes. These leaves are known for more than just their lack of length, though, for they are a pale blue when viewed in shade, but you just wait until they are in full sun because they will turn a combination of rosy pink and golden yellow! And the colorful display does not end here! In late spring, orange tubular flowers shoot out of these beautiful plants and brighten up the foliage, making this an irresistible aloe plant and understandably a crowd favorite.

Now, it’s time for the aloe plant that easily has the cutest name…Hedgehog Aloe! Yeah, yeah it is technically called “Aloe Humilis” but that is way less fun, so we are going to stick with the hedgehog name for now. This succulent needs a lot of light and more water than a normal succulent, so yes, it is pretty needy, but aren’t we all? It does really well indoors, though, so just make sure to put it by a window and keep your home between 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit for the best results! This beauty should reward you with soft-orange blooms that will attract hummingbirds if you put it outside, so could it really get any better? Growing only to a max of 35cm, this little Hedgehog Aloe is definitely moving up on my list of favorites with every new fact I learn!

On a more personal note, I’ve had the absolute honor of having the same best friend for sixteen years. You may be wondering what on earth this has to do with aloe plants but hold on guys hang in there with me! My bestie and I met when we were three years old in front of the big pink Barbie Dream House on the first day of preschool. Sounds like some kind of fairytale, right? We instantly hit it off, forced our moms to set up a playdate for us, and have been absolutely inseparable ever since. She’s the sister I never had, and I see her more often than I see my little brother. Seriously, I do. After all this time, it only makes sense that I have spent more days than I can count at her house and with her family, which leads me to her wonderful mother. She is a woman who has been through numerous cancer treatments, endless IV appointments, has many dietary restrictions, and has been to every natural-medicine professional in North America. Understandably so, after these seemingly never-ending health complications, it has encouraged her to be all organic and natural with the foods she can consume, and she does her best to work that into every aspect of her life. So of course, she went the extra step and decided to go as natural as she could with her remedies to sunburns. That’s right, she began growing and harvesting her own Aloe Vera. No no no, this is not exactly the same as the vague aloe plants we have been talking about thus far. The word “Aloe” is really too commonly used as a substitute for “Aloe Vera”, when in reality, they are very different.

Aloe Vera is a species within the aloe genus, making it a super specific little shoot off of it. Aloe Vera is really cool and special, but not only because of its bright evergreen leaves and height that can reach up to 40 inches tall. It is actually an ornamental aloe too! This means that Aloe Vera has some medicinal properties in addition to its visual beauty, making it a highly coveted succulent. It’s a good thing that this little plant is so easily adaptable to different climates because it is in high demand! It can grow indoors or outdoors, in a pot or in the ground, in summer or in winter, you name it! Now what all can this little plant do, you ask? The list goes on and on, my friends.

1- Laxative

Yes, you read that right. It is definitely one of the less well-known uses of Aloe Vera, but it is a medicinal masterpiece, nonetheless. There is strong evidence suggesting that “aloe juice” has the properties of a laxative and is able to act as one in an all-natural way! There are countless recipes all over the internet featuring different flavor combinations in order to give you some latitude in choosing what you drink as a solution to your laxative-needing problem. This aloe juice will get you back to being regular, and in addition to that, it’ll help regulate your blood sugar and clear up acne!

2- Gel

This second use is easily the most common one and is first to come to mind for most people when they hear “Aloe Vera”. It is such a restorative miracle that it only makes sense that it gets bottled up and sold in every drugstore across the nation. This succulent’s precious gel is secure within the shell of its vivid green leaves, waiting to be harvested and used as an over the counter, all-natural topical skin remedy. It is used to treat sores and burns of all different kinds but is most often used for sunburns. There are many ways to harvest the aloe gel, but it takes a steady hand and a special technique, so let’s save us all a trip to the hospital and make sure you study the how-to before attempting to perform yourself.

3- Skincare

Aloe Vera is promoted as a moisturizer and anti-irritant, which makes it very valuable to be added to skincare products such as makeup, moisturizer, soaps, sunscreen, shaving cream, and shampoos. This holds so many benefits for the skin that it is truly amazing to me that Aloe Vera isn’t marketed even more than it is right now. It is advertised as being added to tissues to lessen nose chafing, which it is very good at eliminating, and has the potential to solve many other cosmetic insecurities in the future.

This seems wildly impressive, and it is, but this is not where the list ends for the wonders of Aloe Vera, and it is not the only medicinal aloe out there. That’s right! There are medicinal properties to so many of these beautiful plants that it’s a little hard to believe it isn’t talked about more. Aloe Ferox makes a gel that is similar to that of Aloe Vera, just a bit less effective, and Curacao Aloe has recently been used as the base of a natural body care line to address all skin types. Then there is Barbados Aloe, which has always been used for general healing in natural medicine but has lately been attracting interest in more traditional medicinal markets due to its newfound bioactive chemicals.

It is true that I did have most of this aloe knowledge ahead of time, but I still learned some new factoids throughout the process of writing this post, and I hope you all did too! We did take a crash course on all things aloe, after all. We discussed a few of the different kinds of aloe plants, the difference between aloe and Aloe Vera, what Aloe Vera plants can be used for, and even more after all that! After looking at all of the facts, I have to say that my personal recommendation would be that if anyone is looking to invest in an aloe plant of some kind, I would without a doubt suggest Aloe Vera. It easily has the most health benefits, and it is one of the few types of aloe that can so easily adjust to thrive as both an indoor and outdoor succulent.

If you enjoyed this post and feel like you learned a PLANTastic amount about succulents… then please feel free to check out the rest of our blog! We have posted everything from “Succulent vs a Puppy” to “Upcycled T-shirt Succulent Planters”, so whether you are looking for something funny, crafty, informative, or basically anything in between, we’ve got a post for you! And, if you become a really big fan, we have a shop too! Get yourself succulent mugs, t-shirts, planters, you name it and we’ve got it for ya! Better yet, buy some as gifts too! I’m trying not to succ this holiday season, but what about you?