Spiral aloe

© David Madison/Getty Image

Why, aloe there

Aloe isn't just that itch-relief ooze you buy at the supermarket. Aloes are some of the most splendid succulent plants in nature, coming in many shapes and colours. While the rubbery, gel-filled leaves of most aloe plants are long and tendril-like, those of the pictured Aloe polyphylla species are stout and tightly set—one of many examples in nature of a near-perfect spiral. Commonly called spiral aloe, it's a coveted garden plant with specific growing conditions that make it hard to keep alive. Even in nature it's rare and native only to the chilly mountains of Lesotho, a tiny kingdom entirely surrounded by South Africa.