AloeandAgaveare two genera ofsucculent plantswith similar visual aspect and tutelage needs . The similarities arise because both are adapted to exist in hot , dry climate . However , AloeandAgaveare not closely related , and the climates in which they germinate are like but in different world hemispheres .
Aloeis a genus in the familyAsphodelaceae . Its members have voluptuous parting put in a rose window . Agave , however , is a phallus of the familyAsparagaceae .
Aloes are an " Old World " plants . They originally grew in torpedo - SaharanAfrica , the Saudi-Arabian Arabian Peninsula , andMadagascar . From there , Aloes go around along the Mediterranean glide andSouth Africa . ThoughAloes turn wild in the southwesternUnited States , they acquire as an inaugurate specie , not a native one . Agaves , on the other hired man , are " New World " plants . They originated in Mexico and the American Southwest . Today , they extend from Utah into northernSouth America , growing in deserts , arid grassland , and oak tree - true pine forest .
Photo via uniquesucculents.com
bitter aloes uprise well inUSDA Plant Hardiness Zones9 through 11.Agaves grow in zones 9 and 10 , with some varieties tolerating more heat or cold than the norm . Agaves can stick out full Dominicus , whileAloes like a bit of nicety during the sunny times of the day . Both plants do well in sandy or even bouldered soil if it is well - debilitate .
It is soft to confuseAloeandAgaveat first coup d’oeil , but some typical strong-arm differences can help you distinguish between them . Agaves are generally large and spinier thanAloe . The spine onAgaveare often distressingly sharp , whereas the " tooth " that sometimes lineAloeleaves are commonly soft to the touch .
For a certainly - burn down symptomatic , try snap a leaf in two . AnAloewill break well , open you access to the gel stored inside . Onthe other deal , Agave leave of absence are extremely fibrous , and crisp shears are required to cut them .
The blossom ofAloes are vasiform , making them staring for pollenation by long - peck birds . They acquire in clusters atop long stalks and typically bloom in spring or summertime . The efflorescence rove in colouring from creamy white to orange , bright reddish , or purple .
Agaves also flower atop a retentive stalk that shoots up from the center of the rosette . This anthesis structure , inflorescence , is often as big or bigger than the plant life that create it . It carry a bushy pigeonholing of flowers at the top . The resources the anthesis occupy are massive . Expanding them typically kill the plant . In other words , Agaves flower themselves to demise . Consequently , they blossom only once , unremarkably after 10 to 30 twelvemonth , though sometimes after a much longer life , earning the uncouth name " Century Plant . "
informant : sfgate.com , Mountain Crest Gardens
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