Gasteria bicolor Haw.

Plants decumbent to erect, 50-500 mm tall, with a short, leafy stem up to 200 mm tall, proliferating from the base to form small groups. Roots succulent, 3 mm in diameter. Leaves distichous or spirally arranged, 30-400 mm long, 15-60 mm broad at the base, lorate to linear, erectly spreading, rarely somewhat recurved, slightly falcate and twisted sideways: apices becoming incurved during the dry season; adaxial surface plane to convex, channelled during the dry season; abaxial surface convex when distichous, with an excentric keel when spirally arranged, dark green and with dense white spots arranged in obscure transverse bands, rarely not spotted; epidermis smooth, rarely slightly asperulous to somewhat tuberculate; margin entire, cartilaginous-serrulate, tubercles becoming confluent towards apex, forming an entire semi-translucent white margin; apex obtuse, rarely acuminate, with an excentric mucro. Juvenile leaves patent or erectly spreading, lorate, asperulous; apex obtuse, mucronate. Inflorescence 0.1-1.5 m tall, rarely simple or branched from the middle, with up to eight erectly spreading side branches; bracts 10-23 mm long, 3-5 mm broad at the base; floral bracts 3-7 mm long and 1-2 mm broad at the base; pedicel 3-7 mm long. Perianth 12-20 mm long, stipitate for 1-2 mm, gasteriform basally for more than half its length, thence abruptly constricted to a tube 3-4 mm wide; gasteriform portion light pink, rarely white, globose to globose-elliptic, inflated to a diameter of 6-9 mm; tube white with green striations; apices of segments erect to erectly spreading obtuse. Stamens 8-17 mm long; anthers oblong 1.5-3 mm long, not protruding. Ovary 4-7 mm long, 1.5-3 mm in diameter; style 6-11 mm long, exceeding the anthers after anthesis; stigma minute, included. Capsule 10-25 mm long, 6-10 mm broad. Seeds oblong to rectangular, 2-4 mm long. Flowering time July to November, with a peak in September and October and sporadically throughout the year.