A quick-lookup tool for separating Aloe vera from other aloe taxa and from Australian native, aloe-like relatives. Search by name, filter by group or Australian status, and click column headings to sort.
Aloe vera is not native to Australia. Kew currently gives its native range as northern Oman, in the Hajar Mountains. In Australia it is treated as introduced, with Australian records documenting naturalised populations in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.
The genus Aloe is also not Australian-native. Its native range is outside Australia, across Africa, Madagascar, the Arabian Peninsula and nearby Old World regions.
“Naturalised” ≠ “native” and does not automatically mean “nationally invasive”. Australian status is best checked at state/territory level when planting, moving or disposing of plant material.
Search plant name, synonym, region or clue.
Filter Australia-native vs non-native, plus aloe vs Australian-relative.
Sort click a column heading. Click again to reverse the order.
A blank “Australian record” means the record was not assessed in this table; it does not prove absence from Australia.
| Current taxon | Common / legacy label | Group | Native range | Native to Australia? | Australian record / status | Habit class | Useful identification cue | Primary reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aloe vera | Aloe vera; medicinal aloe; Aloe barbadensis (syn.) | Aloe genus | Northern Oman (Hajar Mountains) | No | Introduced; naturalised in WA, NT and Qld in Australian records | Short-stemmed, clumping rosette | Dense fleshy leaves, pale green to grey-green; margins toothed; yellow or pale-orange flowers | Kew POWO |
| Aloe arborescens | Torch aloe; candelabra aloe; tree aloe | Aloe genus | Southern & tropical Africa | No | Introduced in NSW and SA; naturalised/adventive in some Australian regions | Large branching shrub / small tree | Branching stems and larger rosettes; a common look-alike for A. vera but generally much larger | Kew POWO |
| Aloe ferox | Cape aloe | Aloe genus | South Africa to Lesotho | No | Australian introduction status not assessed in this table | Single-stemmed shrub / tree aloe | Dense upright rosette on a trunk; leaves can approach 1 m long | Kew POWO |
| Aloe maculata | Soap aloe; spotted aloe | Aloe genus | Southern Africa | No | Introduced into NSW, Qld, SA, Tasmania and other regions listed by Kew | Low to medium clumping subshrub | Usually conspicuously spotted leaves; broad rosette; compact flowering form | Kew POWO |
| Aloe parvibracteata | Spotted aloe | Aloe genus | Mozambique to southern Africa | No | Introduced into Queensland | Clumping perennial | Compact flattened rosette with prominent whitish spotting, especially on young leaves | Kew POWO |
| Aloe cameronii | Red aloe | Aloe genus | Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe | No | Recorded in Queensland; local status not classified here | Succulent subshrub | Often forms a low shrub-like clump; foliage can take reddish tones in strong conditions | Kew POWO |
| Aloe brevifolia | Short-leaved aloe | Aloe genus | South-western Cape Province, South Africa | No | Australian introduction status not assessed in this table | Compact succulent subshrub | Short, broad leaves form a dense low rosette; typically a small-form aloe | Kew POWO |
| Aloe striata | Coral aloe | Aloe genus | Cape Province, South Africa | No | Australian introduction status not assessed in this table | Stemless succulent perennial | Smooth-looking blue-green leaves with conspicuous linear striping; relatively soft margins compared with spiny aloes | Kew POWO |
| Aloe mitriformis | Climbing / mitre aloe | Aloe genus | Western & south-western Cape Province, South Africa | No | Australian introduction status not assessed in this table | Low succulent subshrub | Compact rosettes with a low, spreading habit; strongly different in scale from tree-form aloes | Kew POWO |
| Aloe speciosa | Tilt-head aloe | Aloe genus | South Cape Province, South Africa | No | Australian introduction status not assessed in this table | Succulent shrub / small tree | Distinctly tilted rosette; larger woody form compared with compact household aloes | Kew POWO |
| Aloe marlothii | Mountain aloe | Aloe genus | South-eastern Botswana to KwaZulu-Natal | No | Australian introduction status not assessed in this table | Large succulent shrub / tree | Can form a 2–4 m (sometimes 6 m) plant with a substantial stem and large crown | Kew POWO |
| Aloe polyphylla | Spiral aloe | Aloe genus | Lesotho (Maluti Mountains) | No | Australian introduction status not assessed in this table | Rosette-forming succulent perennial | Highly distinctive spiral arrangement of leaves | Kew POWO |
| Aloe africana | African aloe | Aloe genus | South Cape Province, South Africa | No | Australian introduction status not assessed in this table | Succulent shrub / tree | Woody, upright form rather than a small household-style rosette | Kew POWO |
| Aloe humilis | Hedgehog aloe | Aloe genus | South Cape Province, South Africa | No | Australian introduction status not assessed in this table | Small succulent perennial | Low-growing, compact rosettes; a much smaller growth form than tree aloes | Kew POWO |
| Aloe aculeata | Red hot poker aloe | Aloe genus | Southern Zimbabwe to Limpopo | No | Australian introduction status not assessed in this table | Solitary succulent perennial | Dense upright rosette with conspicuous reddish-brown prickles on leaf surfaces | Kew POWO |
| Aloe suprafoliata | Book aloe | Aloe genus | Mozambique to Mpumalanga and northern KwaZulu-Natal | No | Australian introduction status not assessed in this table | Succulent subshrub | Juvenile and mature leaf arrangements differ markedly, making the foliage shape useful for identification | Kew POWO |
| Aristaloe aristata | Lace aloe; formerly Aloe aristata | Aloe genus (split from Aloe) | Southern Africa: Cape Provinces, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho | No | Australian introduction status not assessed in this table | Small succulent perennial | Fine white marginal hairs/teeth and a compact, patterned rosette | Kew POWO |
| Gonialoe variegata | Partridge-breast aloe; formerly Aloe variegata | Aloe genus (split from Aloe) | South-western Namibia to Free State | No | Australian introduction status not assessed in this table | Small succulent subshrub | Compact fan-like leaves with strong transverse banding / mottling | Kew POWO |
| Bulbine bulbosa | Bulbine lily; native leek (regional common names) | Australian native relative | Central & south-eastern Australia | Yes | Native in NSW, Qld, SA, Tas and Vic | Clump-forming perennial | Related by family (Asphodelaceae), but not an Aloe; useful native comparison when choosing an Australian plant | Kew POWO |
| Tricoryne elatior | Yellow rush lily | Australian native relative | Australia | Yes | Native across Australia in the Kew distribution record | Perennial / rhizomatous geophyte | Same family as aloe, but grass-like and non-succulent rather than a fleshy-leaved rosette | Kew POWO |
| Tricoryne tenella | Delicate rush lily | Australian native relative | South-central Western Australia; south-eastern South Australia | Yes | Native in SA and WA | Perennial / rhizomatous geophyte | Aloe-relative at family level, but a fine, grass-like native rather than a succulent rosette | Kew POWO |
| Caesia alpina | — | Australian native relative | South-eastern Australia | Yes | Native in NSW, Tas and Vic | Perennial | Asphodelaceae family member native to Australia; useful taxonomic contrast with non-native Aloe | Kew POWO |
| Caesia occidentalis | — | Australian native relative | South-western Australia | Yes | Native in WA | Perennial | Australian Asphodelaceae relative; demonstrates that “not an aloe” does not mean “not a member of the wider aloe family” | Kew POWO |
Taxonomy note: Some familiar nursery labels remain in circulation after taxonomic revisions. For example, Kew accepts Aristaloe aristata rather than Aloe aristata, and Gonialoe variegata rather than Aloe variegata.
Native: occurs naturally in the region without human introduction.
Introduced: present outside its native range due to human movement or cultivation.
Naturalised: an introduced plant that has established self-sustaining populations outside cultivation.
Invasive: a context-dependent term generally reserved for non-native organisms causing significant impacts; it is not synonymous with “naturalised”.
For legal or biosecurity decisions, use the relevant state or territory database rather than relying on a generic “native/non-native” label.
Useful official starting points:
Australian Weeds of National Significance · WA Organism List