Aloe vera & Agave americana.

First of all, I have to qualify that I could easily have mislabeled these. The aloes are definitely Aloes, but could be some other species. The agave looks to me like the standard Agave americana, but I can't recall whose front yard I liberated it from so I can't really go look at the original plant.

Aloes are great plants to have if, like me, you have a tendency to burn yourself a lot. They are monocots in the asphodel family. The name aloe is from the Greek word for the plant or a drug made from its bitter juice. Apparently aloe juice can act as a laxative, but I just use it topically. Agaves are from the agave family. They are named after a woman from Greek mythology whose name means illustrious.

My aloes don't get much attention except for when I need them. I like to cut off the older leaves and put them in the freezer for later use. When I inevitably burn myself, I take a frozen leaf and remove the skin with the back side of a knife. The cold flesh is doubly soothing on a burn.

This agave lives in a small pot made by my wife when she was in elementary school. The pot is so small that I can't even stick my thumb in it. I used to water this guy about once every 6 months but now it gets watered much more often and it has doubled in size. The problem is that now it falls over under its own weight. Unfortunately this is not the blue agave that tequila is made out of (Agave tequilana); however, one can ferment a milk-colored alcohol called pulque or mezcal from Agave americana.