Flat Aloe Vera vs. a Swirled Leaf Arrangement?

by Lydia Cuff
(Mehama, Oregon, U.S.A.)

from above, leaves seem flat instead of swirled - is this a different kind of aloe?

from above, leaves seem flat instead of swirled - is this a different kind of aloe?

I have some aloe plants that I can't totally identify. They are green with white spots and little spikes on the edges of the leaves, but unlike all the aloe vera plants I've seen, the leaves don't seem to grow in all directions.

Instead, they seem to grow more 2-dimensionaly, but don't look to me like aloe plicatilis (fan aloe) either.

Can anyone identify these for me? Is it some sort of weird hybrid?

Can the gel be used on burns? Is this variety edible?


Hi Lydia.
I do hope others will comment as well. They may know far more than I do. But your plants look just like my aloe vera plants.

I've found that as the plants grow larger, they do begin to do more of a swirled arrangement of their leaves. But when mine are your size (as most are right now) they do the same thing.

Another point I've noticed is that if I turn the pots when I water them, so the other sides of the plant are facing the sun source, then the leaves tend to turn toward the sun. The more carefully I pay attention to the turns of the pot (something i often forget to do) the more rounded and balanced the plant looks.

I do wish someone with more sure knowledge would step up and tell us how this works. (hint-hint!)

Blessings & Thanks for sharing, Lydia!
Ruth

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Nov 14, 2022
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Those "Fan" Aloes are cool! NEW
by: Ben

Seems like when they are small like that they are of a distichous habitus. Look it up. If you let them grow large they begin to "spiral" grow. This is true in the earliest stages of both A. vera (also called A. barbadensis or A. vera barbadensis) or A. chinensis (or Aloe vera chinensis). Supposedly (growers and "experts" both are all over the map on this) it is more true for the chinensis variety than the vera species (sometimes called Aloe barbadensis species or variant barbadensis). It is possible that you have a variant that really stays in the "fan" habitus even if it gets really big. If so, cultivate it and sell it on eBay or Etsy or something.

Sep 26, 2019
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Flat
by: Anonymous

Not sure this is an active forum but I have exactly the same problem. The aloe grows flat and it falls down once it grows big.

May 01, 2018
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I have the same aloe NEW
by: Anonymous

I also have the same kind of aloe that you are showing. I was attempting to find the species of my aloe plant to determine the best way to propagate and came across your article. As mine have grown older dery do not start to swirl. They stay in the same orientation and just continue to grow longer it almost seems to be growing like a long creeper vine. It's totally different from all the others I come across.

Mar 03, 2017
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Type of Aloe NEW
by: Anonymous

aloe Barbadensis

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