ALOE, in botany, a genus of the monogynia order, belonging to the hexandria class of plants. Of this genus, botanical writers enumerate 23
Species. 1. The mitriformis, or mitre-shaped aloe. The leaves of this closely embrace the stalks; they
are thick, succulent, broad at their base, growing narrower, and ending in a point; they draw together towards the top, where they somewhat resemble a mitre, from whence the species takes its name. The flower-stem rises about three feet high; on the top of which the flowers come out in a sort of globular spike, which afterwards becomes cylindrical. They have long footstalks, which come out horizontally, so that the flowers hang downward. They are tubulous, and cut into six unequal segments to the bottom, three being alternately broader than the others. The tube of the flower is of a fine red colour, and the brim of it a pale green, so that they make a fine appearance when the spikes of flowers are large. 2. The barbadensis, common, or Barbadoes aloe. The leaves of this sort are about four inches broad at their base, where they are near two inches thick, and diminish gradually to a point, having a few indentures on their edges, and when young are spotted with white. The flower-stem rises near three feet high. The flowers stand in a slender loose spike with very short footstalks, hanging downwards. They are tubulous, cut into six parts, and of a bright yellow colour. 3. The arborescens, or sword-aloe. This grows to the height of 10 or 12 feet, with a strong naked stem, the leaves growing at the top, which closely embrace the stalk; they are about two inches broad at their base, growing narrower to a point, and are indented on their edges, each being armed with a strong crooked spine. The flowers grow in a pyramidal spike, of a bright red colour; and are in beauty in November and December. 4. The africana, or African aloe. This species resembles the former; but the leaves are broader, and have several spines on the back side towards the extremities, and the flowers grow in a looser spike. 5. The disticha, by some called the soap-aloe, by others Carolina-aloe. This seldom rises above two feet high. The leaves are very broad at the base, where they closely embrace the stalk, and gradually decrease to a point. The edges are set with sharp spines, and the under leaves spread open horizontally every way. These are of a dark green colour spotted with white, somewhat resembling the colour of soft soap, from whence the plant got the name of soap-aloe. The flowers grow in umbels on the tops of the stalks, are of a beautiful red colour, and appear in August and September. 6. The obscura, with very broad spotted leaves embracing the stalk, whose edges are set with spines, and flowers growing in an umbel. This very much resembles the former; only the leaves are broader, and of a lighter green. The edges and also the spines are of a copper colour, and the flowers grow in loose spikes. They appear in September. 7. The plicatilis, with sword-shaped smooth leaves, grows to the height of six or seven feet. It has a strong stem, towards the upper part of which are produced two, three, or four heads, composed of long, compressed, pliable leaves, placed two ways, lying over one another, with their edges the same way. The flowers are produced in short loose spikes of a red colour, and appear at different times of the year. 8. The brevioribus, with leaves embracing the stalks, which are prickly on every side. This is an humble plant, seldom rising more than a foot high. The leaves grow near the ground, are broad at the base, where they embrace the stalk, and gradually dimin-
nish to a point. Their edges, and also their upper parts, are beset with pretty sharp spines. The flowers grow in loose spikes, the tubulous part being red, and the brim of a light green colour. 9. The variegata, or partridge-breast aloe, is a low plant, seldom rising above eight inches high. The leaves of this are triangular, and curiously veined and spotted, somewhat like the feathers of a partridge's breast. The flowers grow in very loose spikes, and are of a fine red colour tipped with green. 10. The hedge-hog aloe is a very low plant, never rising to have stalks. The leaves are beset on their edges and both surfaces, with soft spines, very closely; from whence its name. The flowers grow on a loose head; and are of a fine red colour below, but of a pale green above. 11. The viscosa, with funnel-shaped flowers, grows near a foot high, with triangular leaves of a dark green colour. The flowers grow thinly upon very slender footstalks, are of an herbaceous colour, and their upper part turns backward. 12. The spiralis, with oval crenated flowers, grows somewhat like the former; only the flowers grow upon taller stalks, which branch out and grow in very long close spikes. 13. The linguiforme, or tongue-aloe, has its leaves about six inches in length, and shaped like a tongue. The flowers grow in slender loose spikes, each hanging downward, of a red colour below, and green at the top. 14. The margaritifera, or large pearl aloe, is a very beautiful plant. It is smaller than most of the aloe kind. The leaves are short, very thick, sharp pointed, and turning down, with a large thick end, appear there triangular. The colour of the leaves is a fine green, stripped in an elegant manner with white, and frequently tipped with red at the point. The flower-stalk, which rises in the midst of the leaves, is round, smooth, of a purple colour, and generally about eight inches high. When the plant has been properly cultivated, the flowers are stripped with green and white; and sometimes they are entirely white. This aloe is singular in not having the bitter resinous juice with which the leaves of most others abound; when a leaf of this species is cut, what runs from it is watery, colourless, and perfectly insipid. 15. The vera, or locutorine aloe, hath long, narrow, succulent leaves, which come out without any order, and form large heads. The stalks grow three or four feet high; and have two, three, and sometimes four, of these heads branching out from it. The flowers grow in long spikes, each standing on a pretty long footstalk; they are of a bright red colour tipped with green, and generally appear in the winter season. 16. The glaucia, with a short stalk, and flowers growing in a head. This resembles the eighth in some particulars; but the leaves are much broader, and spread wide on every side, whereas those of the eighth are ranged only two ways, and are narrow. The brevioribus also flowers but seldom, whereas the glaucia flowers annually in the spring. 17. The arachnoidea, or cob-web-aloe, never rises from the ground, but the leaves spread flat on the surface. The flower-stalk rises about a foot high, is very slender, and hath three or four small herbaceous flowers standing at a distance from each other. These are tubulous, and, at the brim, cut into six parts which turn backward. 18. The herbacea, with oval leaves, is also a small plant growing near the ground. The leaves are almost cylindrical
Aloe. drical toward their base, but angular near their ends, and are set with short soft spines at the angles. These leaves are shorter, and of a darker green colour, than those of the former sort. 19. The retusa, or cushion-aloe, hath very short, thick, succulent leaves, compressed on the upper side like a cushion. This grows very close to the ground; the flowers grow on slender stalks, and are of an herbaceous colour. 20. The verrucosa, or pearl-tongue-aloe, hath long, narrow, tongue-shaped leaves, which are hollowed on their upper side, but keel-shaped below. They are closely studded on every side, with small white protuberances; from whence the plant hath had the name of pearl-tongue-aloe. The flowers grow on pretty tall stalks, and form loose spikes, each hanging downward. They are of a beautiful red colour, tipped with green. 21. The carinata, or low aloe, with fleshy, keel-shaped, spotted leaves. This hath some resemblance to the last, but the leaves are much broader and thicker; the flowers also are of a paler colour, and the spikes shorter. 22. The ferox, with dark green leaves, beset with spines on every side. This species grows to the height of eight or ten feet, with a strong stem. The leaves grow on the top, and closely embrace the stalk. They come out irregularly, and spread every way. They are near four inches broad at the base; and diminish gradually to the top, where they end in a spine. This sort hath not as yet flowered in Britain. 23. The uvaria, with reflexed flowers, lying over each other like tiles on a house. This species hath very long, narrow, triangular leaves, shaped like those of the bulrush. The flowers are produced in close thick spikes, upon stalks near three feet high. They are of an orange colour, having six yellow stamens, which come out beyond the tube of the flower; so that when the plants are strong, and produce large spikes, they make a fine appearance. The flowers appear in August and September. There is a variety of this species with narrower leaves, and longer spikes of flowers.
Culture. The proper earth for planting these vegetables in, is, one half fresh light earth from a common, and the rest an equal mixture of white sea-sand and sifted lime-rubbish. This mixture should be always made six or eight months before the plants are to be set in it. The common aloe will live in a dry greenhouse in winter; and may be placed in the open air in summer, in a sheltered situation, but must have very little water. Most of the other aloes are best preserved in an airy glass-case, in which there is a stove, to make a little fire in very bad weather. The tenderest kinds require a greater share of heat to preserve them in winter, and should be kept in a good stove, in a degree of heat ten degrees above temperate. Many other kinds may also be kept in this heat; but the greater the heat, the more water they always require. About the beginning of June, it is usual in England to set the pots of aloes out of the house: but they should be set under the shelter of hedges, or trees, to keep them from the violence of the sun; the rains also, which usually fall in this and the following month, are apt to rot them. It is therefore best to keep them under cover the greatest part of the year. The best time to shift these plants is the middle of July. They are, on this occasion, to be taken out of the pots, the loose earth to be picked from
about their roots, and the decayed or mouldy parts of them cut off; then a few stones are to be put at the bottom of the pot, and it is to be filled with the composition before described, and the plants carefully put in, the roots being so disposed as not to interfere with one another. They are to be carefully watered after this, at times, for three weeks, and set in a shady place. The common kind will bear the open air from May to October, and should be shifted every year. All the aloes are propagated by off-sets, or by planting the leaves. The off-sets should be taken from the mother plant, at the time when it is shifted: they are to be planted in very small pots of the proper mixed earth; and if that part of them which joined to the mother-plant be observed to be moist when taken off, it should lie on the ground in a shady place two or three days before it is planted, otherwise it will rot. After planting these, they should remain in a shady place a fortnight; and then be removed to a very moderate hot-bed, plunging the pots therein, which will help their striking new roots. Towards the end of August they must be, by degrees, hardened to the open air, by taking off the glasses of the hot-bed; and in September they may be removed into the green-house.
Aloes, in medicine, the inspissated juice of some of the abovementioned species. The ancients distinguished two sorts of aloes: the one was pure and of a yellowish colour, inclining to red, resembling the colour of a liver, and thence named hepatic; the other was full of impurities, and hence supposed to be only the dross of the better kind. At present, various sorts are met with in the shops; which are distinguished either from the places, from the species of the plants, or from some differences in the juices themselves. These may be all ranged in three classes:
1. Aloe Socotrina, socotrine aloes, brought from the island Socotora in the Indian ocean, wrapt in skins; it is obtained from the 15th species abovementioned.—This sort is the purest of the three: it is of a glossy surface, clear, and in some degree pellucid; in the lump, of a yellowish red colour, with a purple cast; when reduced to powder, of a bright golden colour. It is hard and friable in the winter, somewhat pliable in summer, and grows soft betwixt the fingers. Its taste is bitter, accompanied with an aromatic flavour, but insufficient to prevent its being disagreeable: the smell is not very unpleasant, and somewhat resembles that of myrrh.
2. Aloe Hepatica, hepatic, Barbadoes, or common aloes, (the juice of the second species), is not so clear and bright as the foregoing sort; it is also of a darker colour, more compact texture, and for the most part drier. Its smell is much stronger and more disagreeable; the taste intensely bitter and nauseous, with little or nothing of the fine aromatic flavour of the Socotrine.—The best hepatic aloes come from Barbadoes in large gourd shells; an inferior sort of it (which is generally soft and clammy) is brought over in cases.
3. Aloe Caballina, fetid, caballine, or horse aloes, (the produce of an African aloe,) is easily distinguished from both the foregoing, by its strong rank smell; although, in other respects, it agrees pretty much with the hepatic, and is not unfrequently sold in its stead. Sometimes the caballine aloes is prepared so pure and bright, as not to be distinguishable by the eye even from
from the Socotorine; but its offensive smell, which it cannot be divested of, readily betrays it.
Aloes is a stimulating cathartic bitter: if given in so large a dose as to purge effectually, it often occasions an irritation about the anus, and sometimes a discharge of blood. Small doses of it frequently repeated, not only cleanse the prima via, but likewise attenuate and dissolve viscid juices in the remoter parts, warm the habit, quicken the circulation, and promote the uterine and hemorrhoidal fluxes. This medicine is particularly serviceable to persons of a phlegmatic temperament and sedentary life, and where the stomach is oppressed and weakened: in dry bilious habits, aloes prove injurious, immoderately heating the blood, and inflaming the bowels.
This juice is likewise, on account of its bitterness, supposed to kill worms, either taken internally, or applied in plasters to the umbilical region. It is also celebrated for restraining external hemorrhages, and cleaning and healing wounds and ulcers.
Socotorine aloes contains more gummy matter than the hepatic; and hence it is likewise found to purge more, and with greater irritation. The first sort therefore is most proper where a stimulus is required, as for promoting or exciting the menstrual flux; whilst the latter is better calculated to act as a common purge.