Aloe reitzii Reynolds

Plant succulent, acaulescent, or with stem up to 60 cm, the stem procumbent, simple rarely branched. Leaves lanceolate-ensiform, arcuate-erect, densely rosulate, dull green, up to 65 cm long, 12 cm broad, the apices armed with a pungent thorn; upper surface flat or slightly concave, smooth, neither spotted nor lineate; lower surface convex, smooth, except sometimes for 4-8 thorns in median line near apex, the thorns pungent, brownish, about 2 mm long, 10-20 mm distant; margins armed with deltoid pungent brownish to reddish-brown teeth 3 mm long, 7-15 mm distant, more crowded low down, more distant upwards, the interspaces straight, the colour of the leaf or reddish-brown, never corneous. Inflorescence 1-1.3 met. high, 2-6-branched from below the middle. Peduncle 3.5-4.5 cm diam. low down, not bracteate below the first branch, the branches below the racemes clothed with several sterile bracts. Racemes cylindric slightly acuminate, very densely multiflowered, 35-45 cm long, 5-6 cm diam., usually terminating in a small tuft of wilted brownish bracts, the buds and flowers spreading downwards. Brads lanceolate-acute, 14 mm long, 7 mm broad, thin scarious brownish, many-nerved, very reflexed. Pedicels green, 3 mm long. Perianth bright red above, the underside lemon, curved-cylindrical, up to 50 mm long, the base rounded, not stipitate, about 7 mm diam., enlarging to about 9 mm above the middle thence slightly narrowing to the mouth, somewhat laterally compressed; outer segments connate into a tube for 30 mm, the free portion 20 mm, the 2 upper segments scarlet, with 5 reddish nerves turning slightly brownish at apex, the margins paler, the apices sub-acute and slightly falcately connivent, the lowest segment lemon, with 3-5 deeper lemon nerves, the apex sub-acute, straight; inner segments free but dorsally adnate to the outer to about the middle, with thin white margins; the uppermost segment with a 20 mm keel the colour of the perianth turning brownish at apex; the 2 lowest segments with a less pronounced keel formed by 3 crowded, greenish nerves. Filaments distinctly flattened, the 3 inner narrower and lengthening in advance of the 3 outer, pale lemon within the perianth, the 10 mm exserted portion brownish-orange. Anthers exserted 10 mm Style yellower than the filaments, the exserted portion the same colour. Stigma at length exserted 10-12 mm. Ovary olive-green, 9 mm long, 4 mm diam. at base. Capsule 25 mm long, 14 mm diam.