Aloe vera is an herbaceous perennial in the family Liliaceae grown for its succulent leaves which have a variety of culinary and medicinal uses. The Aloe vera plant has a short, stout stem and a rosette of fleshy, lanceolate leaves which have a serrated margin of small white teeth. The leaves may be flecked with white and are pale green or gray-green in color. Aloe vera plants produce a conspicuous inflorescence composed of densely packed pendulous yellow flowers on a spike which can be up to 90 cm (35 in) in height. The plant itself can grow to be 1 m (3 ft) in height and can live for up to 100 years if well cared for. Aloe vera may also be called Aloe barbadensis or Aloe perfoliata and is indigenous to eastern and southern Africa.