Propagation: Exactly how much of Aloe leaf is required for it to root? , 1 by SilkKnoll

SilkKnoll wrote:
Maybe there is some confusion about what is being called "Aloe." Some plants with long, sword-like leaves will root from sections of the leaf, like Sansevieria trifasciata. Many plants will start from the base of a leaf (begonias, jade plants, African violets). Others root from modified stems that appear to be leaves (Epiphyllum). But I agree with the others who wrote that Aloe leaf sections won't root.

Any part of a plant that will produce both roots and buds has to contain meristem cells -- undifferentiated cells that can produce any part of the plant. Aloe leaves don't have such cells.

As for the sites you found that say they do, I'm sure you know that the internet has no truth or accuracy filters. Anyone with access to a computer with a modem can post internet articles. We've all seen more improbable things than rooting Aloe leaves: Once, when I mentioned to a new friend (who has a Ph.D. in horticulture!) that I had different colored peacocks, she asked me if I had "sunflower peacocks," which she was sure existed because she had seen pictures!