Any shrubby succulent plant of the genus Aloe, in the lily family .
Native to Africa, most of the 200 or so species have a rosette of leaves at the base but no stem. Several are cultivated as ornamentals. The juice of some species, especially the popular potted plant known as true aloe ( Aloe vera ), is used as an ingredient in cosmetics, as a purgative, and as a treatment for burns.