The Yellow Aloe Plant

Basic Description

• Yellow aloe is a succulent plant with an extremely short stem and long, thick, fleshy green or yellow-green leaves with small teeth on their edges. Its leaves grow in a rosette shape from the center of the plant, and a single species can spread as wide as 6 feet. It blooms irregularly in spring by putting up a 3-foot long stem with yellow or orange tubular flowers on it.

Hardiness

• As a succulent, yellow aloe is extremely drought resistant; it stores excess water inside its leaves, protected by a thick skin. It tolerates a range of different lighting conditions from full sun to partial shade, and does well in well-drained soil. Like other succulents, however, aloe is extremely vulnerable to the cold. Freezing temperatures can severely damage or kill the plant, since it contains so much water. It can also be damaged by overwatering.

Propagation

• Aloe very can be grown from seeds, but this is not the most common method of propagation. The plant puts out small pups around its base. If these pups can be detached and replanted, they can grow into large aloe plants. Aloe can also be grown from a leaf tip cutting planted in warm soil.

Uses

• Inside of aloe leaves are two materials which are used medicinally. In the middle is a clear gel and around that is a clear, yellow latex. The gel is a common ingredient in cosmetics, sunblock and other lotions. It can be used alone or with other substances to promote healing in a variety of skin conditions including burns, cuts, sunburns and rashes. It is also used in beverages, yogurt and other products. There is some evidence that it may lower the risk of a variety of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer when taken internally, but it has not been conclusively proven to do so. The latex is a traditional laxative. It is less commonly used, because it can be irritating to the intestines and because there are a wide range of other laxatives available. It can cause contact dermatitis when it touches the skin, and is usually separated out from the gel.