A robust, hardy, and primarily stemless evergreen perennial succulent. It develops a large, dense, solitary rosette that typically grows 60–90 cm (2–3 feet) tall and wide.
The upward-curving, lance-shaped leaves are a pale glaucous grey-green. The leaf surfaces are smooth, but the margins are heavily armed with small, sharp, dark reddish-brown to black teeth.
The most striking feature of this aloe is its spectacular, bi-colored winter display (blooming between May and August). It pushes up heavily branched inflorescences reaching up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall. The dense flower heads feature dark red to crimson buds that open into bright chrome-yellow flowers from the bottom up.
