Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera
Scientific Name: Aloe barbadensis
Typically found in the desert
Ideal Conditions:

• They should be planted in full sun, or light shade.
• The soil should be moderately fertile, and fast draining.
•  During the winter months, the plant will become somewhat dormant, and utilize very little moisture. During this period watering should be minimal. 
• During the summer months, the soil should be completely soaked.

Aloe Vera plants are angiosperm plants that have a symbiosis relationship with fungi. They live for 5 to 25 years. A mature Aloe Vera grows to a height and width of about 24 inches. Aloe Vera grow a tall, slender flower spike from the center of its leaves. At the tip of the spike is a cluster of small, yellow, tubular flowers that are ready to be pollinated. Pollinated flowers develop into a small green pod. As the pod matures, it dries and browns, splitting open to release seeds to the soil below.



• Rind: This is the outer protective layer of the leaf. this is where synthesis of all health nutrients found in aloe vera is synthesized!
• Sap: Sap layer is a bitter layer and because of this animals do not prefer eating aloes. Thus it provides chemical based protection to aloe plant
• Mucilage:  Its primary function is to help store water and food.
• Gel: This is the key layer which is filled gelatinous gel with great nutrition and health benefits. This is the largest section of the leaf.

Aloe Vera has both apical and lateral meristems. Aloe Vera forms a symbiosis that allows the plant better access to mineral nutrients in soil. It's a stem less or very short-stemmed succulent plant. The great thing about aloe vera is that it can be grown pretty much anywhere including Phototropism. Which is the growing or turning of an organism in response to a unidirectional light source

Auxins are plant hormones that are produced by the tip of a shoot and mediate phototropism

Auxin makes cells enlarge or grow and, in the shoot, are eradicated by light

The accumulation of auxin on the shaded side of a plant causes this side only to lengthen, resulting in the shoot bending towards the light

Auxin causes cell elongation by activating proton pumps that expel H⁺ ions from the cytoplasm to the cell wall

The decrease in pH within the cell wall causes cellulose fibres to loosen (by breaking the bonds that hold them together)

This makes the cell wall flexible and capable of stretching when water influx promotes cell turgor.

The aloe vera plant has a rhizome root system that allows for an alternative way of propagation. Growing horizontally and shallowly, the rhizome is an underground stem that has multiple nodes from which shoots and roots grow. Aloe vera plants can be reproduced by separating these bulbs, detaching the offshoots from the main plant. The root epidermis may have extensions called root hairs which further increase surface area for mineral and water absorption. These root hairs have carrier proteins and ion pumps in their plasma membrance, and many mitochondria within the cytoplasm, to aid active transport. That's how aloe vera gets minerals into its system. When dealing with aloe vera it is key to keep the abiotic factors straight as can be. Salinity is extremely important when it comes to aloe vera. These factors affect how much transpiration occurs in the plant which is a big factor for growth.

Aloe vera has really cool adaptations too. It stores water in its leaves in order to live in places with low rainfall. It also has spikes on the edges of the leaves which deters animals from eating it to get to the water. The gel in leaf pulp stores water and energy of plant. The leaves are thick, fleshy and enlarged to accommodate aqueous tissue.



Aloe vera is far from threatened and is actually extremely common everywhere. People use aloe vera for so many things this includes weight loss, lotions, burns, tea, and much more. Many use aloe vera for pretty much all health issues. The most interesting thing is that it produces a gel and a latex so it can be so diversely used!