Aloe and agave may share some obvious similarity . But they ’re two very dissimilar plants .
They come from two different works families , but they both go to the same order , Asparagales , which represent sept with similar trait .
We link to vendors to help you find oneself relevant products . If you purchase from one of our links , we may clear a commission .
Photo via Alamy.
Most species in the order are rosette - spring with lily - character flowers , and the seed coats of these plants are typically calamitous .
But this is a immense chemical group ! And it includes many types of succulents as well as genus Allium like onions and ail , and various pop garden flowers like gladiolus and day lily .
Both aloe and agave enjoy blistering and juiceless climates , spend a penny them ideal selections forxeriscapingand drought - tolerant gardens .
The flowers that shoot up from their rosettes are adored by pollinator , and fill up with nectar . Grown together , these works create attention - grabbing weewee - smart garden setting .
But do they perhaps seem a little … toosimilar to you ? After reading this templet , you will be able to distinguish these two succulents from each other .
To get us pop out , I ’ll play up each plant and its differences , espouse by the best ways to expend them .
Here ’s everything that ’s up ahead :
What You’ll Learn
Identifying Agave
TheAgavegenus includes just about 250 species . Several species are cultivated for fiber , food , or making tequila and mezcal , as well as for use as ornamental . Commonly grown agave species includeA. americana , A. attenuata , andA. tequilana .
agave are short - stem succulent plant that form rosettes . Their sturdy , sarcoid leaf come in a compass of colors including green , gloomy , and shades of silver . Some are variegated with ointment and light yellow hue .
Agave ’s spine - tip foliage can strive over eight feet in length , count on the coinage , and most have sharp - toothed margins .
But the leaves and flowers do not count the same in all species of agave .
For example , one normally grown species , A. attenuataor the foxtail grass American aloe , has leaves with no teeth or last spines , and is less set than most types .
In plus , A. attenuataproduces a curving florescence shaped like a swan ’s neck , which is not typical of other species .
As bring up , there are many species in this genus and they vary in size .
look on the variety , some can grow up to 20 feet magniloquent and 10 feet wide of the mark , but others are much pocket-sized .
Agave utahensisvar.nevadensisis one of the diminished species , a dumb agriculturalist that reaches about 11 column inch in acme and width at maturity in ideal term .
Agave flowers only once before they pop off , but they also bring about offset around them which will subsist on and take over the infinite .
Flowers blossom in bounce and summer at the end of a marvellous angry walk that shoots up from the rosette , and each flower is about three to four inches long .
They flower in panicle at the end of single branches and their colors range from cream to yellow or a dark-green shade .
acquire more about these stunning succulents and how to produce them .
Identifying Aloe
If you thought theAgavegenus contained a tidy sum of species , have you met aloe ? sentence to get well acquainted . This genus beats them by at least treble , with close to 600 species in a range of shapes and size .
Most aloe works have stocky heavy leave filled with a gel - corresponding substance . But the most pop coinage favored for the copious colloidal gel it make , harvested for usein do by sunburns and for other medicinal purposes , is aloe vera .
you may learn more about these works inour aloe vera get guide .
Thelist of commonly uprise aloesis long , and much like agave , their kind render a broad palette of architectural choice for landscape design .
When many mass reckon of aloe , the plant that they envision probably has green leaf . And they would n’t be improper ! However , this is n’t true for all type . Species likeA. cameroniihave reddish - tinge leaves , for example .
Depending on the sort , the leaves might also boast different patterns . Most of them having tooth along their edges , and the leaves shape either a rosette or rooter pattern .
Aloes range in size . Some are even bid tree diagram !
One of the tumid species , Aloe barberae , which was latterly reclassify asAloidendron barberae , is commonly known as the tree aloe . It can originate up to 60 foot in height with base as thick as three feet in diam .
Unlike agaves , aloe industrial plant typically floweronce a year in springiness or summertime when grow in idealistic conditions , like full sun .
The retinal cone - shape inflorescence shoots up from the middle of the plant , and the flowers tend to be yellow , orangish , or red .
Notable Differences Between These Plants
Now , permit ’s cover the primal difference that will aid you tell agave and aloe apart from each other .
normally , agave is big than aloe , although this is not the pillowcase in some instances .
Agave plants typically live longer than aloe and bloom only once , while aloes can flower annually .
The interior of aloe leaves is colloidal gel - like , while agave leaves are stringy . They both typically have toothed leaves , but the foliage of agave is more pointy and shrewd than aloe .
Best Uses
Both of these types of succulent put up drouth - large-minded landscape painting designing options with a multitude of species and cultivars available for planting !
They make for a cracking pairing as well , with alike cultural requirements . Use them to make a weewee - wise margin that attend tremendous year - round when interplanted together .
If you ’re craving some garden design inspiration to place on your coffee tabular array or bring to your bookshelf , “ Planting designing for Cactus and Succulents ” by Sharon Asakawa is a fantastic option .
The script spotlight how to best group succulents together so they can thrive while creating gorgeous displays of lush arrangements .
Planting Designs for Cactus and Succulents
This book isavailable on Amazon .
Aside from both serving as stunning decorative plant that are pee - wise , metal money with mellow food market value exist from both genus with various software program in food and practice of medicine .
The famous aloe vera was heel as one of the top 25 herbal supplements sold in the US in 2019 inHerbalGram , a publication of the American Botanical Council .
So , it ’s safe to say that people enjoy using this aloe species for the plurality of healing benefit it can proffer !
Mexico ’s traditional spirits , tequila and mezcal , are made from the agave plant . While mezcal can be made from various agave species , tequila is like an expert crafted fromA. tequilana , usually known as patrician agave .
Serious about Succulents
Many initiate gardeners begin with succulents , thanks to the resiliency of these plants and their undemanding tutelage requirements . They ’re an splendid water - wise alternative to lawns in regions where they may be arise year - pear-shaped .
Agave and aloe make a marvelous pair to think tote up to your drouth - patient of garden . And being able to tell them apart will take you far when you ’re choosing which ones to found !
detect the species that will accommodate your garden best , based on their vividness , height , spread , and other features and get requisite . And do n’t forget – some can even be grown in containers .
For gardener in cool zones , a potted aloe plant may be the way to go . And it makes a utile plus to one ’s kitchen garden or herbal apothecary .
And to get you growing , check out these cacti and succulent articlesnext for more guidance and inspiration :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more particular . Product pic via Cool Springs Press . Uncredited picture : Shutterstock .
About
Kat Sanchez
