Garden Use
With its attractive foliage and flowers, soap aloe is a refreshing addition to Mediterranean, succulent, and rock gardens. Because of its tolerance to sand, salt, and drought, it also makes an excellent choice for coastal gardens. The fiery red blooms attract butterflies and hummingbirds, so it is excellent to grow in subtropical wildife gardens. Soap aloe can be planted within beds and borders, in patios and containers, and also used to create a succulent groundcover.
Interesting Facts
Soap aloe has a tendency to hybridize easily with similar species. It must be noted that although some types of aloe are edible, soap aloe is somewhat toxic. Products made from hybrids (and any aloe plants whose hybridization may be in question) should not be ingested without careful consultation with an expert on the matter.
Name Story
Soap aloe: In spite of its name, soap is not made from soap aloe. Rather, the name comes from the fact that mixing its sap with water makes a lather which resembles soapy water. The striped leaves of soap aloe also lend it another common name, zebra aloe.
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