Although they appreciate well-drained soil, the hardier species do not need it. Agaves hate cold, wet soil. Agave parryi Agave parryi in flower Agave fernandis-regis Aloe Family Asphodelaceae. These plants form rosettes of succulent leaves which range from 4 cm to 2 m in diameter. Plants can be single-headed or clumping, sessile or with elongated stems.
Flowers are variable too, but in most species they are tubular and orange or red.
They contain copious nectar which is sought out by the sun birds that pollinate the flowers. In cultivation in the New World, hummingbirds are drawn to the flowers. The 200 species range throughout arid and semiarid Africa and Madagascar, but the center of diversity is in South Africa, with minor centers in East Africa and Madagascar. Almost everyone knows the burn plant, Aloe vera , in which the mucilage in the leaves is used to soothe burns and scrapes. This plant was spread throughout the ancient world by humans, so it is impossible to pinpoint where it originated.