ALOES. 



(Aloe.) 



LlLIACEJE. Aloe Socotrina. 



Nurub. xxiv. G; Ps. xlv. 8; Prov. vii. 17; Cant. iv. 14; John xix. 39. 



the several varieties of the aloe, the plant which we 

 have represented is the nearest in form to that of the 

 aloe of Scripture. The scenery in the background is 

 that of the plain of Moab, with the mountains of Aba- 

 rim in the distance, as we look toward the west. This 

 is the region with which it was first associated in Scripture. It 

 seldom exceeds five feet in height, and hence can scarcely be 

 called a tree, but is more properly a plant. The trunk is 

 rough and indented; the leaves are thick and well filled with 

 the sap, and sometimes from two to three feet long, and are 

 edged throughout their length with little, thorn-like teeth. 

 From these leaves exudes a thick juice, which, when evapo 

 rated until it is solid, forms the aloes of the druggist. From 

 the midst of these sword-formed leaves rises a spike, at the end 

 of which is the cluster of beautifully-colored flowers. This 

 spike has caused the plant to be called in some of its varieties 

 the &quot;spiked aloes,&quot; or aloe spicata. Each little tube-like flower 

 is parted at its end into five leaves, or rounded points, form 

 ing a coronal termination, in the centre of which are the six 

 delicate filaments of the stamens irregularly protruding just 



6 39 



