Aloe falcata Baker

Plants acaulescent or shortly caulescent, usually in groups, and with the rosettes lying almost on their sides. Leaves about 20, densely rosulate, about 30 cm long, 7 cm broad at base, usually falcately upcurved, grey-green to glaucous, lanceolate-acuminate, both surfaces finely granuled and rough to the touch; upper surfaces flat low-down, canaliculate upwards; lower surface convex, sometimes slightly keeled near apex and with about 6 spines in median line for about 7 cm from apex; margins armed with reddish-brown horny deltoid teeth, about 5 mm long, 10 mm distant, the apex usually terminating in a spine. Inflorescence a branched panicle up to 60 cm high, branched low down with up to 10 branches, the lowest sometimes with 1-2 branchlets, the peduncle not sterile bracteate below the lowest branch, the branches sterile bracteate below the racemes. Racemes varying from shorter and more densely flowered to longer and more laxly flowered, usually cylindric-acuminate, up to 30 cm Long, 7 cm diam., sub-laxly flowered (sometimes reaching 40 cm in large robust specimens). Pedicels the lowest about 18 mm long, with their bracts as long or slightly longer; the bracts narrowly deltoid-acuminate, thin scarious pale-brownish, about 5-nerved. Perianth dull reddish to pale scarlet (rarely yellow) slightly greenish tipped, cylindric-trigonous, straight, averaging 40 mm long, about 7 mm diam. near base, slightly stipitate at base; outer segments free for 10 mm (tube 30 mm), the free portion paler at margins, with 3-5 greenish nerves confluent at apex, the apices sub-acute slightly spreading, brownish; inner segments free, but dorsally adnate to the outer for two-thirds their length, broader than the outer and with white borders, with 3 congested nerves forming a greenish keel in upper third, apices brownish, more obtuse and slightly more spreading than the outer. Filaments filiform-flattened, the 3 inner narrower and lengthening in advance of the 3 outer. Anthers the 3 inner and 3 outer in turn exserted about 8 mm Stigma at length exserted up to 10 mm. Ovary 7 mm long, 3 mm diam., finely 6-grooved, green.