Aloe huntleyana

Arborescent shrub, much-branched from its base, spreading to pendent, up to 0.5 m long and 2 m wide. Roots fleshy. Branches not straight, often with a slight zig-zag, leafy, 12 – 14 mm in diameter, with leaves tending to be crowded in apical rosettes of about 300 – 400 mm in diameter; internodes 15 – 20 mm long. Leaves linear-lanceolate, 160 – 180 × 20 – 30 mm, spreading, recurved in upper half, slightly falcate, greyish green but turning reddish in the dry season; upper surface flat to convex, slightly channelled during the dry season, lower surface convex, sparingly spotted in lower half, distinctly striate at the amplexicaul internodes; margin sinuate-dentate, armed with yellowish green pungent teeth 3 – 5 mm long and 8 – 12 mm apart; apices acuminate. Inflorescence up to 300 – 400 mm long, simple, or divaricate with up to 3 branches in lower half, at first pendent with apices bending up, the lowest branch distinctly arcuate ascending. Peduncle plano-convex at its base 7 – 10 mm in diameter, purplish green to green, with few sterile bracts the longest 10 × 15 mm. Racemes conical-triangular, subdensely and subsecundly flowered, 130 – 150 mm long and 40 – 50 mm in diameter the lateral 80 – 110 mm, the buds ascending spreading, open flowers spreading, but slightly drooping; pedicels 8 – 10 mm long; bracts ovate-acuminate scarious, up to 5 × 3 mm becoming smaller upwards. Perianth red, becoming whitish and yellowish at the apex in open flowers, cylindrical, slightly decurved, 28 – 29 mm long; base obtuse, very shortly stipitate and 6 mm in diameter; outer segments free for 10 mm, 3 – 4 mm broad, inner segments 4 – 5 mm broad, apices obtuse. Anthers about 3 mm long, pollen reddish pink, becoming shortly exerted (about 2 mm). Ovary green 5 × 2.5 mm. Stigma exserted to 2 mm. Capsule and seed not seen. (Figures 3 – 7.)