Home»Cactus - Succulents»Information About Aloe
Aloe plants and agave plants look quite a bit alike , but they are very unlike in many ways . Often , you may encounter these plants in family betterment garden center , big - boxwood stores , and the like , and they may be improperly mark or not label at all .
So how can you order one ornamental industrial plant from the other ? In this clause , we describe the differences between Aloe plants and Agave plant .
Aloe & Agave Are Very Distantly Related
Although Agave and Aloe are reasonably unlike now , they were once related in prehistorical time . Although they still look quite likewise , agave and aloe plantscome from very different property today .
Aloe plantshail from Madagascar originally and have spread throughout the Mediterranean . As the plant spread , different varieties developed . As a result , today , there are types of Aloe that grow very well in cool winter , while others do well in tropical preferences .
Agave hails from Central America , the American Southwest , and Mexico . It is a desert plant .
Aloe & Agave Have Similar Needs But Different Uses
Agave and Aloe both do well in relatively ironic and cheery conditions . Both Aloe and Agave can accommodate and grow in various part of the world as long as they receive the care they ask .
Both types of plants wish to have light , aeriform , sharply drain grime .
Both type are drouth tolerant and do well with the soak and ironical watering method acting .
Even with these law of similarity , the plants have very different qualities . In their aboriginal configurations , they are used for very different purposes .
For example , aloe vera is used as a medicinal plant in many different situations . Its fleshy leave contain a gel efficacious in personal upkeep products and as a handling for minor pelt irritations , burns , and the similar .
Aloe is non - toxic , but you should take concern not to countenance darling or livestock such as goats , Equus asinus , horses , and kine to exhaust it because the outside of the leaf can be toxic to them .
Thevarieties of Agave plants , on the other hired man , contain a sap that can be quite irritating to the cutis and toxic when take . In gain , agave plants are used to make rophy and similar furrowed fabric because they have very sinewy leaves .
Aloe industrial plant also produce juice that is nutritious and medicative . Aloe succus can be summate to other type of juices , used in preparation and smoothies , and so forth .
On the other hand , Agave can do grievous irritation to the mouth , throat , and stomach if ingested . The warmness of theagave plantcan be used to make tequila , but it must be intensively treat to make it relatively safe .
How Can You Tell Aloe From Agave?
It ’s important to evidence these two types of plants aside because abuse the plant can have dangerous and even lethal results .
Compare The Flowers
One way to tell Aloe and Agave asunder is by their blooming pattern . Aloe is polycarpic and blooms twelvemonth after year with multiple flush . An aloe plant typically lives about a dozen eld and blooms annually .
Agave is monocarpic and only blooms once in its lifetime . After it blooms , the works expire . However , agave plants are quite long - lived . Some can live as long as one hundred years , which excuse their uncouth name , Century Plant .
When agave bloom , they do so atop flower still hunt that can be as tall as 20 feet .
Examine The Leaves
you could often tell the difference between Agave and Aloe by comparing the texture and anatomy of the leaves . If you cut open an aloe leaf , you will receive a gel - comparable substance . If you hack open an agave folio , you will notice toughened fibre .
There is some liquid in the leaf , but agave farewell are mostly very tough and fibrous . to boot , many agave leaves have hazardously discriminating edges .
Compare Size
Most of the time , agave plants are much big than aloe flora . Some types of Aloe , such as the Tree Aloe , are larger than an agave ; however , these types of plants are quite unusual . Therefore , you are unlikely to encounter a Tree Aloe .
Although Tree Aloe can grow quite large , you could typically tell them apart from Agave by the many other differences between the two works types .
Generally verbalise , Agave is quite a bit with child than aloe plant when they are matured . Many types of Aloe can do quite well as a houseplant in a pot or container . Agave will typically outgrow this sort of background .
Consider The Time Of Year
To influence what type of industrial plant it is , see what the plant life is doing at a given time of class . For example , the time of year aloe and Agave mature differs .
Agave like to grow during warm weather and have a hibernating period during cold weather . For this reason , if you ’re grow Agave , cut back on lacrimation or intercept water altogether during moth-eaten weather . If you irrigate during the cold season , you launch the risk of cause beginning rot .
Aloe likes to grow during coolheaded weather condition . When the atmospheric condition begins to warm up , the works blooms . For this rationality , you could usually reckon on your aloe plant to bloom very late in the wintertime or very early in the springtime .
To encourage this , you should continue water your Aloe during cool weather condition but water judiciously to prevent root rot .
How Are Agave and Aloe Leaves Different?
Generally talk , Aloe has thick , sarcoid , succulent leaves . However , if you compress an aloe leaf , it may feel soft or even spongy . This is because it is filled with gel . If you attempt to break an aloe leaf , you ’ll be capable to bust off a piece reasonably easily . When you do , you will see the gel inside the leaf .
Agave leaves , on the other hand , are slight , hard , and hempen . As a result , if you crush an agave foliage , you will not feel much give . Likewise , if you attempt to break off an agave leaf , you will be very unconvincing to be successful .
Furthermore , you ’ll need to be heedful because the allowance of agave leaf be given to be hazardously sharp .
Inside agave leaves , you will find very knotty fiber . This roughage is very utilitarian for making Mexican valium , carpet , and other sturdy material .
If you look at the margins of aloe leaves , you may see some small , jolly indulgent spines . If you expect at the margins of an agave leaf , you will find sharp , stiff , vigorous spines .
You are improbable to hurt yourself adjoin an aloe leaf , but you are quite potential to do so when you experience an agave leaf .
How Are Agave and Aloe Similar?
Agave and Aloe are often similar in appearing , physical body , and sizing , and they care the same type of climate and concern . In add-on , they are often quite similar in semblance . Deep green or dusty blue-blooded - super C is vulgar for many species of both types of plants .
Both of these types of plants have long , lance - form , spiny leaves that grow from the center of the plant life . Both plants tend to develop close to the ground ; however , some aloe plant develop as trees , and some agave plant are quite large and predominate .
Aloe flowers and agave flowers may look alike , but they take issue greatly in the blooming absolute frequency and the size of the blooms . Both Aloe and Agave produce their bloom atop marvelous stalks that emerge from the plant life ’s essence .
The distance of the straw and the color of the blossom alter from one case of plant to another . However , the configuration of stalks and flowers is pretty much the same between Aloe and Agave .
The stalks are tall and stand above the plant . They produce bell - shaped or cannular bloom in shades of :
The big conflict in blooming is that Aloe is polycarpic . So they bloom every year throughout their lifetime , which is about twelve years .
American aloe are monocarpic . They bloom one time in their lives , usually when they are between 10 and 30 years one-time .
For this reason , if you see a plant of this type in bloom , this can be a clew that the plant is an aloe . Examine it more close to determine whether or not it is an American aloe .
What Is False Aloe?
In some areas of the southeasterly United States , you may encounter a commonly known plant as False Aloe . This plant illustrates just how easy it is to confound Aloe and Agave . It is neither Aloe nor Agave , yet it has a history of being misguided for both !
The industrial plant is a member of the asparagus or Asparagaceae family . False Aloe ’s scientific name is Manfreda virginica , although it used to be known as Agave virginica . It was formerly thought to be an Agave or a penis of the Agavaceae family of flora .
False Aloe is a recurrent plant that spring up between 2″ and 16″ inches tall in a rosette formation . Its leaves are flat , sarcoid , steel - shaped , and green . The plant does not have spines or sharply edged leaves .
This industrial plant grows flower on a 6′ foot long , compromising , leafless stalking , rather like that of a Spider Plant , also a fellow member of the Asparagaceae family of plant life . The flowers are greenish - yellow , tubular , and about an column inch long .
False Aloe blooms from too soon in the summer through mid - fall . At the death of blooming flush prison term , the plant produce minuscule , rotund seeds .
In Missouri , three more Yucca species are related to False Aloe and could easily be misguided for Aloe or Agave . You may hear all of these type of plant referred to as :
Again , this works is neither Aloe nor Agave , yet flora expert have mistakenly identify it as such in the past times , so take great care to make a right designation as you go about collecting Aloe and Agave ! If you have any questions regarding identity operator , take the time to double - check before making any employment of the plant .
