Aloe

There are approximately 600 different types of aloes found in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Socotra, Madagascar, and the Mascarene and other Western Indian Ocean Islands. Most aloe plants have a rosette of large, thick, fleshy leaves. The tubular flowers can be yellow, orange, pink, or red. Some aloe varieties appear to be stemless, with the rosette growing directly at ground level, while others may have a branched or unbranched stem from which the fleshy leaves spring. The colour of the leaves varies from grey to bright green and is sometimes striped or mottled.