Do you know that there are several Plants similar to aloe vera?
The aloe vera plant, widely known for its medicinal properties, is a succulent plant belonging to the aloe species.
Its fleshy leaves and spiky feel make it eye-appealing and a wise choice for your home. In addition to its numerous advantages, it can be grown both indoors and outdoors.
Many other succulent plants look like vera but are not.
If you are on the lookout for other succulents that look like aloe vera to add to your plant collection and beautify your space, then this list of plants similar to aloe vera will come in handy.
15 Plants Similar to Aloe Vera
1. Haworthia
Haworthia, with over 150 species, is one of the numerous plants similar to aloe vera. It has a striking rosette form with thick, fleshy leaves.
It grows slowly and spreads by sprouting from the base of the mature plant. However, it is smaller in size compared to aloe vera and has a transparent tip.
Haworthia plants require soil with good drainage and should not be watered frequently or brought under direct sunlight or artificial light.
They are native to South Africa.
2. Echeveria
Another popular plants similar to aloe vera is echeveria. Native to Mexico, it is known for its beautiful color range and rosette form. Though similar to aloe vera, its leaves are wider and less spiky.
It requires bright light and soil with good drainage to grow well.
3. Snake plants
Snake plants, also called sansevieria, are plants similar to aloe vera; they come in a variety of colors and are commonly found in Africa, India, and Indonesia.
Like aloe vera, they have long, pointed, green leaves but with dark stripes at the borders and a yellowish or whitish tinge on their edges, curled in a rosette pattern around a stem. They are also quite taller than aloe vera plants, with no flesh on the leaves and no spikes on the edges.
They are highly adaptable, can be grown indoors or outdoors, and are known to act as air purifiers for removing toxins from the air, which makes them excellent indoor plants.
To grow well, they require irregular watering and low sunlight.
4. Pineapple plants
Cactus plants are plants similar to aloe vera such as the pineapple plant. It has sharp spines on its edges and its leaves form a rosette, just like aloe vera.
However, unlike aloe vera plants, it produces a kind of fruity structure similar to pineapple, hence the name and its leaves are oval-shaped and not as thick and fleshy.
The pineapple plant is native to the Brazilian rainforest and comes in white and yellow colors.
It is precautionary to wear a protective glove while handling a pineapple plant because of its sharp spikes.
5. Gasteria
Gasterias are plants similar to aloe vera. It is native to South Africa and has a small and short leaf bud. Its leaves are thick and fleshy, like aloe vera but flatter.
Unlike aloe vera, it has a rougher surface.
Gasteria require minimal care as they can survive harsh conditions and thrive in indirect sunlight.
6. Carrion flower
The carrion flower, native to South Africa and native America, is greatly similar to aloe vera with its thick, fleshy leaves.
It is also known as corpse flowers or stinking flowers due to its unique characteristic of having an unpleasant odor that smells like rotten flesh.
7. Sawblade plant
The sawblade plant, with its fleshy green leaves and pointed tips as its main features, is another plant similar to aloe vera. In warm climates, the plant is safer to grow outdoors than indoors because it needs enough lighting and warm weather.
The sawblade plant is native to Brazil and has medicinal benefits such as treating and curing skin diseases.
8. Faucaria
Faucaria is a succulent plant native to South Africa. It has fleshy leaves similar to aloe vera.
However, in contrast, its leaves are triangular with sharp-toothed edges.
The plant is adaptable to climatic conditions and can be used as medicine to treat stomach problems.
9. Agave
Agave plants are native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is one of the rosette succulents often mistaken for aloe vera because of its similar pointed leaves and bent spines at the edges. It is large, fleshy, and green.
However, its leaves are broader and its tips are sharper. It also grows much larger than aloe vera plants.
One beneficial feature of agave plants is their nectar, which can be used as a natural sweetener.
10. Yucca
Yucca has long, pointed leaves similar to aloe vera. But the main difference between yucca and aloe vera is that its leaves are thinner. It also does not form a rosette shape like other lookalikes; instead, it takes on a tree-like structure.
Yuccas are low-maintenance plants and drought-resistant. Their beautiful structure makes them an excellent choice for plotting landscapes.
11. Whale’s Tongue Agave
Whale’s tongue agave is one of the impressive plants that looks like aloe vera. It originated in the arid zones of the United States and Mexico.
The plant got its name from having a large rosette of leaves( a height of 2–3 feet) and a distinct shape similar to a whale’s tongue.
The stem of Whale’s tongue agave is edible and said to contain carbohydrates. It is also drought-tolerant and a low-maintenance succulent.
12. Maguey
Maguey, also known as the American Century Plant, is a succulent plant that looks like aloe vera. It has a large rosette of thick and fleshy leaves and grows taller than most rosettes.
Maguey is native to Mexico and has several medicinal properties useful for healing wounds and sunburns. Its thick and fleshy leaves help it stay resistant.
13. Bergeranthus
Bergeranthus is a succulent plant from South Africa with a rosette-like appearance and thick, fleshy leaves that store water to aid survival in warmer climates.
14. The Red Hot Poker
Red Hot Poker is a hybrid of aloe and red hot poker. Aloe has spikes of red leaves, like an aloe. The plant is a hybrid between the aloe and the red hot poker plant, which gives it its name.
The red hot poker plant is long and thin, with the main features of aloe. One feature that easily differentiates it from aloe vera is its flower spikes, which are fiery red and thrive well in sunny locations and soil with good drainage. They are also drought-resistant.
15. Aeonium
Aeoniums is a colorful succulent plant similar to aloe vera and native to the Canary Islands. It has a similar rosette form and is thick.
However, it comes in different shapes, sizes and colors. They are unique plants that take on a tree-like shape covered with leaves. eventually form shrub branches when they grow.
However, aeonium thrives better in cooler environments to keep the heat at bay.
Conclusion
Identifying plans and their lookalikes may not be something you are good at. That’s why this article is your sure guide to knowing a few plants that are similar to aloe vera.
However, do not stick to this alone; feel free to explore other types and look them up. Also, ensure to check whether it is a poisonous plant or not to safeguard yourself.
