This aloe grows as a solitary rosette with the leaves curving inwards, resulting in a neat, rounded head or rarely form small groups. It is particularly striking with a stunted appearance, and is especially attractive for its dull red flowers in winter. It is one of the most easily recognisable of the aloes even when not in flower, owing to its habit of growth. It is a low growing species with irregular flowering and seed set. It closely resembles Aloe humilis but the leaves are thicker and more rigid. If not watered for a long time, leaves tend to curl in on itself, making it look a bit like an anemone curling into a ball when protecting itself.
Rosette: It forms a compact, almost spherical perfect rosette with overlapping leaves reaching only 300-400 mm in diameter, and 300-400 mm in height.
Stems: Very short or absent.
Leaves: About 30, fleshy, very stiff, chubby, narrowly ovate-lanceolate, triangular, arcuate, strongly convex on the inner, glaucous, greyish-green or reddish-green with a particularly rough surface with pronounced papillae, without spots and sharp-tipped. The leaf margins of new growth have whitish spines as opposed to the reddish brown spines on older leaves. The backs of the leaves have spines on the medial line near the leaf tip. Outer leaves 12 cm long, 3 cm broad and 9 mm thick in the middle. As the temperatures drop, the colours of the leaves tend to pinken as is the case in many aloes and other succulents.
Rosette: It forms a compact, almost spherical perfect rosette with overlapping leaves reaching only 300-400 mm in diameter, and 300-400 mm in height.
Stems: Very short or absent.
Leaves: About 30, fleshy, very stiff, chubby, narrowly ovate-lanceolate, triangular, arcuate, strongly convex on the inner, glaucous, greyish-green or reddish-green with a particularly rough surface with pronounced papillae, without spots and sharp-tipped. The leaf margins of new growth have whitish spines as opposed to the reddish brown spines on older leaves. The backs of the leaves have spines on the medial line near the leaf tip. Outer leaves 12 cm long, 3 cm broad and 9 mm thick in the middle. As the temperatures drop, the colours of the leaves tend to pinken as is the case in many aloes and other succulents.