Succulent herb up to 160 cm tall, without stem or with a short stem up to 30 cm long, freely suckering and forming dense groups, with yellowish leaf sap. Leaves 15–25, densely clustered into a rosette, without petiole, linear-lanceolate, 15–30 cm × 6–7 cm, fleshy, upper surface rather flat, powdery-glaucous, striate and marked with large oblong whitish spots more or less arranged in a series of irregular transverse bands, lower surface convex, very powdery-glaucous, margins armed with stout, horny, deltoid, brown-tipped teeth 6–7 mm long, 10–16 mm distant. Inflorescence with stalk copiously branched above the middle, the branches terminating in lax racemes 30–40 cm long; bracts linear-lanceolate, c. 1 cm long. Flowers bisexual, regular; pedicel 6–7 mm long; perianth tubular, 3–3.5 cm long, 6-lobed, dull red, much inflated around the ovary, 3 outer lobes acute, many-veined, 3 inner lobes more obtuse and wider; stamens 6, included; ovary superior, 6-grooved, 3-celled, style filiform, stigma headlike. Fruit a capsule, dehiscing loculicidally, many-seeded. Seeds c. 7 mm long, broadly winged, dark coloured, punctate.

Purgative, disinfectant and anthelminthic (plant juice)

PROTAbase: Aloe zebrina

A decoction of the powdered stem and leaf bases is taken orally twice a day by women after delivery to cleanse the system. The plant juice is used for treating wounds, skin problems and conjunctivitis.