Aloe vera
Aloe vera
Also called Medicine plant and Burn plant
Houseplant · Succulents & cactiThick, floppy, pale leaves mean too much water — not too little.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Every 18 daysSoak, then bone-dry — wait until the soil is dry right through — lift the pot, it tells you.
- Light
- Bright, some direct sun
- Feed
- Every 90 days
- Humidity
- Low
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out for the summer RHS H1C, to 5°C
- Size
- 0.6 m tall · 0.9 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- Arabian Peninsula
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsToxic to pets
Affects dogs, cats, horses. Signs: vomiting (not in horses), lethargy and diarrhoea. The gel inside the leaf is considered edible.
PeopleHarmful if eaten
The yellow latex in the leaf skin. Safe to eat: the clear inner gel.
HandlingTake care handling it
A cut leaf weeps a bitter yellow latex that stains and irritates skin.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-07-31.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- A round black-brown blotch on the leaf face that stays flat and dry rather than sinking in.Aloe rust · disease
- White fluff packed into the angle where an offset meets the parent, usually hidden until you tilt the pot.Mealybug · pest