a botanical genus, of the natural order of Bromeliaceae, including the American aloe. The principal species is A. americana, a plant now naturalised in Spain, where it forms very secure fences. It sends up a lofty spike of very rapid growth, bearing a bunch of yellow flowers. The leaves are fleshy, long, and strong, carrying a formidable spine at their extremity. The fermented juice of the stem is the pulque of the native Mexican tribes. The fibres of the leaf afford a very good material for cordage.