BOTANIC MATERIA MEDICA, 293 
Aloe, Aloe Socotrina, Aloe Vulgaris, Aloe 
Spicata, Aloe Indica, Aloe Capensis, Natal 
Aloes and Moka Aloes, All the species are suc- 
culent plants, and have a spiked inflorescence. 
Corolla tubular and 6-cleft, stamens hypogyn- 
ous and as long as the tube of the flower; style 
as long as the stamens, but often rudimentary, 
and with 3 furrows; stigma simple or triple, 
very small and replicate; fruit a capsule trian- 
gular in shape, 3-celled and 3-valved; seeds nu- 
merous and in two rows; 3 cornered, flattened, 
or else angled and winged in shape. The Aloe 
Vulgaris has long, erect, lanceolate green leaves, 
and greenish-yellow flowers. Aloe Socotrina 
or Socotrin Aloe, has sword shaped leaves with 
small, white, spiny prominences along their 
margins, whilst the flowers are scarlet at the 
base, pale in the middle and green in color at 
the apex. The Aloe Spicata differs only in a 
few minor particulars. The Aloe Indica isa 
low plant and has a spike of red flowers. The 
Aloes of commerce is the inspissated juice of 
the various aloe plants, and is obtained from 
the leaves; these are cut off and ’the juice col- 
lected and evaporated to the proper consistence. 
The Socotrin Aloes occurs in form of a dark yel- 
lowish brown powder, or as it is found in com- 
merce, in hard opaque orange brown fragments; 
under the microscope it exhibits numerous crys- 
tals. This variety of Aloes is exported from 
Zanzibar and other places of eastern Africa, and 
derives its name from the Island of Socotra. 
Aloes Vulgaris, or Barbadoes Aloes, is opaque 
and of a deep orange-yellow brown; it differs 
somewhat from the aforementioned in odor, be- 
