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Aloe Vera Plant and Cactus Plant
The Aloe Vera is a semi-tropical plant that belongs to the lily family. It is a
succulent plant. It is a semi tropical plant and is generally found in the continent of Africa. It is native to northern Africa. The Aloe Vera plant has lanceote leaves which are fleshy and thick
and has a serrated margin and are green to grey green in color. The plant is stem-less or very short stemmed and it spreads by offsets and root sprouts.
The lower leaf parts of the Aloe Vera plant are used for medicinal
purposes. The edible part of the plant is the leaves and seeds. The Aloe Vera liquid is a yellow–orange color and they can be seen when the leaves are cut from the apex. It lives in warm,
dry climates and in very harsh conditions of growth. The leaves of the Aloe Vera plant contain the water that enables it to survive in harsh conditions. The liquid is used in a solution which
when drunk can have an effect like a drug. The great general Alexander the Great used extract from the Aloe Vera plant to cure the wounds of soldiers. There are references in the Bible to the uses of Aloe Vera. It can be used to cure stomach ailments and it can be used a skin moisturizer in skin care products. The plant was brought from Africa to other climates in the 19th century. Today it is available in many countries and farms have been set up to cultivate Aloe Vera plants. The Aloe Vera plant looks like a cactus.
The desert plants adapt to the extremes of heat and aridity by using both physical and behavioral mechanisms. The cactus plants are plants which adapt to the dry conditions of
desert atmosphere, arid and semi arid areas. They grow in extreme climates and the different parts of cactus plants are adapted to the environment.
Their leaves usually are adapted into thorns. It stops the undue
escape of water in the extreme heat. The stems are usually woody and are changed into green succulent structures which contain the chlorophyll needed for growth and sustenance. Most cactus
plants are dicotyledonous plants and are flowering plants belonging to the family Cacataceae.
Botanists say there are abut 1650 species of cactus plants. The
leaves are reduced to bring down the surface area of the leaves and thereby reducing the loss of water. They have
cushion like structures or areoles and from these structures arise the spines in almost all species. The different types of cacti are the button-like peyote, prickly pear and the upright barrel
cacti. The flowers on cactus plants are often solitary. They are often large and colorful. Cactus plants are widely used as ornamental plants and cultivated too for this
reason. Some species are cultivated as food and the barrel cacti are a source of water for people in an emergency. Many cacti plants are beautiful to look at.
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