102 
ALOE. 
the admiration of naturalists. Its tall stem and 
large head of blossom, which, to make it a still 
greater object of curiosity, is said to appear but 
once in a century, are well calculated to attract our 
attention, as we meet with nothing amongst the 
plants of our northern climate to equal it in 
grandeur. The aloe is a native of all the southern 
parts of America, and has been introduced into seve- 
ral parts of Europe : the stem generally rises up- 
wards of twenty feet high, and branches out on 
every side towards the top, so as to form a kind of 
pyramid. The slender shoots are garnished with 
greenish yellow flowers, which come out in thick 
clusters at every joint, and continue long in beauty; 
a succession of new flowers being produced for near 
three months in favourable seasons, if the plant is 
protected from the autumnal colds. The elegance 
of the flower, and the rarity of its appearance in 
our cold climate, renders it an object of such gene- 
ral curiosity, that the gardener who possesses the 
plant, announces it in the public papers, and builds 
a platform around it for the accommodation of the 
spectators. The popular opinion that the aloe never 
flowers but once in a century, and that its blooming 
is attended with a noise like the report of a cannon, 
are equally without foundation; the fact is, that the 
time which this plant takes to come to perfection 
varies with the climate. In hot countries, where 
they grow fast and expand many leaves every sea- 
son, they will flower in a few years ; but in colder 
