Aloe pretoriensis Pole-evans

Plants solitary, with a stem up to 1 met. long, 25 cm diam., sub-erect or arcuate-erect, covered with the dried remains of old leaves when not charred by veld fires. Leaves 40-60, densely multifarious, youngest leaves sub-erect, older ones arcuate-erect to spreading, lanceolate-acuminate, up to 50 cm long, 15 cm broad, with an additional 10 cm of dried reddish apex; upper surface flat below, canaliculate upwards, green but lightly covered with a greyish powdery substance causing a glaucous appearance, somewhat obscurely lineate; lower surface convex, similar to the upper surface; margins armed with reddish deltoid pungent horny teeth about 3-4 mm long, 10-15 mm distant, the teeth usually more crowded near base, more distant upwards. Inflorescence 1 only, a branched panicle, 2-3-5 met. high. Peduncle stout, about 7 cm diam. low down, branched about the middle or higher with 5-8 branches, the 1-2 lowest each with 1-2 branchlets producing a total of up to 12 racemes, 6-8 racemes being the usual; lowest branches subtended at base by deltoid-ovate many-nerved scarious bracts about 5 cm long. Racemes conical to cylindric-acuminate, 20-30 cm long, 10 cm diam., mature open flowers rose-pink to rich peach-red with a bloom, sometimes yellowish at mouth, unopen flowers redder and bluish-grey tipped, the youngest buds hidden by their longer densely imbricate bracts. Floral bracts the lowest about half the length of the pedicel, clasping and enfolding the pedicel, ovate-deltoid, thin dry many-nerved, about 16 mm long, 10 mm wide when pressed flat. Pedicels the lowest 25-40 mm long (longer in the fruit), about 30 mm the average. Perianth cylindric-trigonous, slightly swollen near the middle, narrowing to the mouth, averaging 40-45 mm in length, very shortly stipitate at base; outer segments free, about 7 mm broad, obscurely 3-5-nerved, the apices paler, sub-acute slightly spreading; inner segments broader than the outer and with more obtuse more spreading apices, with 3 congested raised nerves forming a keel which is almost white near base, pink at the middle and green at the apex. Filaments the 3 inner narrower and lengthening in advance of the 3 outer with their anthers scarcely exserted. Stigma at length exserted 1-2 mm. Ovary 10 mm long, 3 mm diam. at base, tapering into the style, finely 6-grooved, deep green.