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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Aloe vera (Yellow Aloe) |
Aloe vera (ASPHODELACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Aloe vera(L.) Burm.f.
Published in Sp. Pl. : 968 (1753) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Asphodelaceae Juss. (The Asphodel Family) Previously included in Liliaceae
6 species from the Asphodelaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Yellow Aloe, Mediterranean Aloe, True Aloe |
Maltese name(s) : |
Sabbara |
Status for Malta : |
Archeophyte. Non-native species, but introduced in Malta before 1492 (Columbus'
discovery of the New World) but usually been on the Islands more than 1000 years. |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Monocotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Chameophyte ( small woody shrubs with vegetative buds well above the ground ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Threatened status for the Maltese Islands and has been listed in the Red Data Book (1st ed.) |
Flowering Time : |
April – September |
Colour of Flowers: |
Yellow |
Toxicity: |
Not particularly toxic |
Name Derivation : |
Aloe: A very old name of Sematic origin meaning alloeh or from Hebrew allal, both meaning bitter with reference to the soapy bitter sap of the plant. Some sources also include the Greek alsos, similarly referring to the bitter juice of the plant, but it was probably derived from the earlier Arabic/Hebrew language. (Arabic origin).
vera: the epithet vera literally means the real one or the genuine one, alluding that it is the species from hundreds of Aloe species that its sap is used used for its healing properties across cultures and centuries. (Latin origin).
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Planting in rural areas : |
Cannot be planted in the wild (rural areas) since the species may be invasive but some exception may be permitted by ERA (see ERA guidelines) |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Stoloniferous herb with numerous leaf-rosettes, basal or rarely terminating stems up to 10 cm; leaves 35-60 x 5-8 cm, narrowly triangular-lanceolate, glaucous, sometimes tinged with red, smooth on both surfaces. Inflorescence simple or with 1-2 branches. Racemes 30-50 x 5-6 cm; bracts 10 mm; pedicels 5 mm; flowers sharply deflexed. Perianth 25-30 mm, yellow; outer segments connate for 1/3 to 1/2 their length; inner segments adnate to outer in lower 1/3. Stamens exceeding perianth by 3-4 mm. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Maritime sands and rocks.
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Arid rocky ground usually near the sea. Also often seen cultivated in parks, gardens, hotels, and touristic establishments.
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Distributional range |
Mediterranean region, S. Portugal
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Native region outside Europe |
(?Arabia, N.E. Africa.)
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Introduced in Crete, Greece, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), Portugal, Sicily and/or Malta
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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[AE(G) Ag Ca Cr Cy Gr Hs It Li Lu Md Si Tn Tu(A)]
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| Links & Further literature
(0 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
