Why don't aloes (and relatives) root from leaves?

[Aloinopsis]

It's known that the genus Aloes and a few other relatives (Aloidendron, Kumara, Aloiampelos Gonialoe) don't root well, if ever, from leaves or leaf cuttings.

Does anybody know why, physiologically?

I'm curious to understand what, exactly, prevents them from throwing out roots on a leaf cutting like Sansevieria or Graptopetalum, for example.

[esp_imaging]

This has some of the answers:

https://rootgorelick.files.wordpress.co ... nia-20.pdf

Some plants have a very strong capability to form new buds and roots from meristem tissue which may be in a basal part of the leaf (very common in Crassulaceae), on the fringes of a leaf (Bryophyllums), or can form in callus tissue (Gasteria, Sanseveria etc), whereas (presumably) plants like Aloes don't have have such a developed area of leaf base meristem tissue and have a weaker tendency to form it in a callus.

[Shane]

I think a deeper why might be it has to do with plant morphology. Succulents with predominantly trailing, creeping or bush-like habits (Crassulaceae for example) reproduce very easily from leaves. But plants that form upright rosettes (like Aloe and its relatives, and Agave) seem to be have difficulty growing from leaves. I can only speculate though

[Aloinopsis]

I think a deeper why might be it has to do with plant morphology. Succulents with predominantly trailing, creeping or bush-like habits (Crassulaceae for example) reproduce very easily from leaves. But plants that form upright rosettes (like Aloe and its relatives, and Agave) seem to be have difficulty growing from leaves. I can only speculate though

I guess it depends on how you define upright. Many smaller plants all around the world which form upright rosettes propagate themselves from leaves. Echeveria, Graptopetalum, Dudleya, Kalanchoe, Rosularia, Sempervivum, Pistorinia, Sedum, Crassula, Pachyphytum...just off the top of my head. There are hundreds of rosette forming succulents that can be propagated by leaves, some more or less upright and most of them small.

[Aloinopsis]

This has some of the answers:

https://rootgorelick.files.wordpress.co ... nia-20.pdf

Some plants have a very strong capability to form new buds and roots from meristem tissue which may be in a basal part of the leaf (very common in Crassulaceae), on the fringes of a leaf (Bryophyllums), or can form in callus tissue (Gasteria, Sanseveria etc), whereas (presumably) plants like Aloes don't have have such a developed area of leaf base meristem tissue and have a weaker tendency to form it in a callus.

Thank you. This is very helpful!

[perez-suarez]

My experience:
Take a little of the trunk with a leave, put it in Lava, most of the Aloe have roots with two months, not watering,
than you can pot the plant.
Cuts from Aloidendron also get roots, about 50% success.
I have about 10 plants of Aloe dichotoma from cuts.
With Aloe ramosissima I have no success !
Gasterias are relative to Aloes, it is easy to get new plants from leaves, also from hybrids between Aloe and Gasteria.
perez-suarez
attachment
Aloe dichotoma from a cut

[Aloinopsis]

My experience:
Take a little of the trunk with a leave,

Well, that's the entire point--you have to have part of the stem (trunk) to form roots. They won't root from leaves.