Botany - grow your knowledge with us.
Any shrubby succulent plant of the genus in the family Asphodelaceae. Native to Africa, most of the 200 or so species have a rosette of leaves at the base but no stem. Several are cultivated as ornamentals. The juice of some species, especially the popular potted plant known as true aloe (), is used as an ingredient in cosmetics, as a purgative, and as a treatment for burns.
Find more information on aloe. Upgrade to Britannica Online for more on aloe.