Aloe petricola Pole-evans

Plants acaulescent, solitary, or in small to large groups. Stem none, or very short. Leaves 20-30 in a dense rosette, lanceolate-attenuate, about 60 cm long, 10 cm broad at base, more or less arcuate-erect, incurved towards apex and forming compact rosettes; upper surface glaucous, flat low down, slightly channelled towards apex, glabrous or with a few scattered small thorns; lower surface glaucous, convex, sometimes with a few scattered thorns, but usually with a few along the obtuse keel near apex: margins armed with pungent deltoid corneous dark brown teeth about 5 mm long and 15 mm distant. Inflorescence simple in younger plants, 3-6-branched in adult specimens (2-3 the average) up to 1 met. high, the racemes erect or sub-erect. Peduncle deep reddish-brown, somewhat sulcate, not sterile-bracteate below the first branch, but branches below the racemes clothed with several ovate-acuminate, pale brown, scarious, many-nerved, sterile bracts, about 15 mm long, 7 mm broad. Racemes very densely multiflowered, cylindric slightly acuminate, 40-50 cm, long, usually bicoloured with the buds dull red, the open flowers somewhat cream to ivory or greenish-white, sometimes with dull red buds and orange flowers, the buds and flowers all spreading downwards. Bracts ovate acute, thin, scarious, pale brown, 3-5-nerved, about 12 mm long, 5 mm broad, severely deflexed near base. Pedicels 2 mm long. Perianth cylindric, slightly ventricose, with the mouth up-turned, 28-30 mm long, greenish-white to pale orange; outer segments free for about two-thirds their length (tube about 9 mm), with 3-5 greenish nerves confluent at apex, the two upper segments closely grouped with their sub-acute spreading apices connivent; inner segments broader than the outer, white, with 3 congested greenish nerves forming a keel, the apices broader and more obtuse than the outer. Filaments filiform-flattened, the 3 inner narrower and lengthening in advance of the 3 outer, the 10 mm exserted portion deep brown. Anthers orange, the 3 inner and 3 outer in turn exserted 10-12 mm Stigma at length exserted 12 mm.