Dilip Walse Patil

Scientific Name : Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f.

Category : Angiosperms

Status : Alive

Habit : Succulent. Stem : Very short on which vase like leaves are arranged in rosette manner. Leaves : Radical, very fleshy, broad at base, narrowed from base to apex, pale green with distant horny prickles on the margins. Inflorescence : Raceme, 15 - 30 cm long, flowers on scape 60 - 90 cm long, simple or branched. Flowers : Small, tubular yellowish orange. Perianthabout an inch or more in length, segment 6, concave. Stamens 6 - filaments slender.Anthers versatile. Ovary superior, 3 - celled, ovules many, styles exerted, stigma small. Fruit : Capsule, 3 - angled. Flowering and Fruiting time : August - December. Significance : Aloes are used as a stomachic and purgative. It is regarded as valuable in the treatment off piles and rectal fissures. The mucilage is cooling and is used for poultice for inflammations. The whole plant is often kept hanging in houses and stables to drive away mosquitoes.