Are there flowers similar to scarlet in medicinal properties, as well as characteristic differences of the agave from other plants
Despite the fact that aloe (agave) is not distinguished by its attractive appearance, but almost every mistress takes a worthy place on the windowsill among other indoor plants. And all because it is a storehouse of many useful properties.
There are several varieties of aloe. Lovers of home plants choose aloe, as many of its species are highly decorative.
There are also flowers similar to aloe, which also form a beautiful rosette of succulent leaves. Some flowers are similar to agave, but have a different name. Find out what plants are and how they are similar to aloe, in the article.
Appearance
If you give a general description of aloe, then this is a perennial plant reaching a height of up to 4 m. The roots are fibrous, have branches. The stalk is straight, branched, covered with leaves arranged in the next order. They have a greenish-blue color, smooth and matte. They have a juicy base, linear lanceolate, pointed to the ends. Their edges are prickly and jagged.
Aloe vera and aloe vera are considered therapeutic. Their leaves are fleshy, grow directly from the root and are collected in a rosette (how to store aloe leaves can be found here).Indoor flowers similar to agave
By external signs
There are flowers that look very similar to aloe.
Agave
This is a perennial stemless plant. Agave is home to Mexico, Central and North America.. The leaves of her, as well as that of the agave, are large and fleshy. Form a dense rosette at the base of the root. Their color is green, bluish-green or grayish. Some leaves have whitish stripes.
Under natural conditions, flowering occurs once every 10-15 years - in the center of the agave an spike-shaped or paniculate inflorescence with many yellow flowers is formed. After flowering, agave ages quickly and dies most often.Hechtia
Similarities with aloe in Texas gechtia. Its leaves are long, fleshy, narrow and pointed, have a rigid base. At their edges there are recesses with rare spines. The diameter of the outlet with leaves is 50 cm. The hechtia blooms with white, greenish or red-burgundy small spikelets.
Bergerantus
It is very rarely seen on the shelves of flower shops. The birthplace of bergranthus is southern Africa. There are 12 types of bergerantus, only two are grown indoors:
- Bergranthus is many-headed;
- arrow-shaped bergerantus.
Sansevieria
Perennial without a stem belongs to the genus agave. It grows in Africa, India, Indonesia and other Asian countries.
In Russia, sansevieria received the names "mother-in-law's tongue" and "pike tail". Sansevieria is the best suited for breeding at home.Gasteria
Succulent, which belongs to the asphodel family, grows in the deserts of South Africa. This flower is also similar to scarlet in appearance, the difference is that some types of Gasteria have a white speck that densely covers the leaves.
How to distinguish medicinal plants? The differences of all these plants from aloe are in their appearance. Aloe has no white blotches on the leaves, and many flowers that look similar to the agave have white stripes on the leaves. Combines plants with aloe leafy fleshy base.
By chemical composition and medicinal properties
What else can replace the agave?
- Stonecrop. Many doctors recommend replacing aloe for medical use with a plant such as stonecrop.
For medicinal purposes, purple stonecrop and large stonecrop are used. The properties of these plants are almost the same. They have a tonic, restorative, anti-inflammatory and wound healing effect.
Stonecrop large also has the following names:
- rabbit cabbage;
- rabbit grass;
- the violinist.
- Eleutherococcus. Aloe can also be replaced by eleutherococcus. The extract from its rhizomes has the same pharmacological properties as the agave juice. Eleutherococcus is well known for its medicinal effect. Its preparations are used for:
- infectious diseases;
- hypotension;
- asthenia;
- overwork.
- Sea buckthorn. Sea buckthorn has similar properties. Oil from its fruits has a general strengthening effect, acts as an antioxidant and cytoprotector, and heals damaged tissues.
Differences with other plants
With Kalanchoe
Which is better, agave or Kalanchoe?
Kalanchoe belongs to the family Crassulaceae. In the care is not whimsical, often blooms and multiplies rapidly. Kalanchoe leaves are juicy, have many useful properties.have bactericidal, wound healing and anti-inflammatory properties.
The therapeutic effect is also exerted by Kalanchoe juice, which is an excellent antioxidant, has a rejuvenating effect on the skin, eliminates fatigue and gives strength.
Aloe also belongs to the xanthorrhoea family. This is an evergreen plant, the juice of which has medicinal properties, as it contains many minerals and vitamins, flavonoids, phytocides, amino acids.
The most popular species are agave and aloe vera.. Aloe vera has succulent and fleshy leaves, while the agave is a tree plant. But both of these species have healing properties.
The main difference between aloe and Kalanchoe is that they belong to different families.With yarrow
The same difference from yarrow. Yarrow belongs to field plants. He has a white inflorescence resembling porridge, on the stem there are a lot of small leaves.
In the treatment plan, yarrow is often used to stop bleeding. Aloe is also used as an anti-inflammatory and wound healing agent. In addition, yarrow does not apply to houseplants.
The main difference between the yarrow is appearance, family and conditions, as well as the place of growth.
With haworthia
Haworthia is less common than aloe. As an indoor flower, it is rarely grown and mainly professional gardeners.
For medical purposes, Haworthia is practically not used.. Most often it is grown for decorative purposes. Outwardly, it is a very miniature flower, reaches a height of up to 25 cm, diameter from 3-5 to 12-15 cm.
Haworthia is less photophilous. At home, not all species of this flower are grown, most often: refined haworthy, file haworthy, adhesive haworthy.
Conclusion
Having familiarized yourself with the various alternatives to aloe vera, you can choose a flower to taste for growing it at home or for medicinal use. All these flowers similar to agave have their own unique composition and individually are no less important than aloe.