This species of Aloe forms tall, slender stems of up to 6 meters. The leaves are long, slender, and mostly straight - only recurving slightly towards the tips. Dead leaves do not long remain on the stem, unlike in the case of most aloes. Unlike most aloes, the "rat aloe" is poisonous.
The flowers are only mildly tubular, with their segments united for 1/3 of their length.