The genus Aloe comprises about 500 species of succulent plants and is included in the family of Xanthorrhoeaceae. The main species are: Aloe vera, Aloe lineata, Aloe arborescens, Aloe ferox, Aloe x spinosissima, Aloe mitriformis (Aloe brevifolia), Aloe variegata, Aloe marlothii, Aloe cosmo, Aloe plicatilis, Aloe striata, Aloe barberae, Aloe tenuior, Aloe ciliaris, Aloe aristata, Aloe thraskii, Aloe juvenina, Aloe maculata. Aloe vera is native to Arabia, the Maghreb and eastern Africa.

It is a perennial succulent plant with rosette leaves 50 cm long. Its fleshy leaves reach 7 cm thick and contain Aloin, which is used in the pharmaceutical industry and protects the plant for its bitter taste.

The flowers of this plant are tubular and small (2.5 cm), usually yellow, that appear from August to September.

Aloe vera needs very little water and, if we spend the time in irrigation, it will surely rot. It is best to water only once in winter and the rest of the year only when the soil is very dry, which we will check by introducing a finger in it (it is not useful to look at the surface of the land, it is the first to dry) .