It sounds more like an agave than an aloe vera, although aloe vera could be tough on a small child. Agave is definitely not good to have around a little one. You could use hibiscus, and there are a multitude to choose from. This is 'Moy Grande', and it is fantastic! A small aloe vera is always good to have around tho. The leaves are full of a jelly like pulp that is great for doctoring kids scrapes and cuts and especially burns. Janie

All your plants look very healthy and happy. Keep up the great work and I envy your talent for growing fruit trees. Most fruit trees that want to live run screaming from me! LOL

I know very little about plants but am learning as I go. I am especially new at nomenclature. I had an "aloe vera" bought at some store or other-bright green with spots. I had it a couple of years and it got very big with my care and had many pups that I cut off and gave away several times. When it was about two feet tall (not counting the bloom)it lost its spots and became less bright green and started to bloom every late winter with yellow flowers. It still had many, many pups. Maybe the confusion is just that the plant is differant colors depending on light and/or age. Lots of pictures of the same kind of succulent are all different colors, same plant, depending on light and heat and culture etc. Too bad mine was over balanced in its pot and did a suicide leap off the desk. Now I am back to one little 3 in. pup, bright green with spots, that isn't getting much light under a plant light in the basement. I am inspired now to bring it up into the light...where it will get huge again... and less green and..... I will post a picture on the gallery page. I know how to do that, I think.

And we're glad you didn't resist, because we know the futility. Aloe veras, not Aloe vera's.