This species belongs to a small group of Ethiopian/Eritrean aloes in which the flowers are covered in fine hairs. Its rosettes have no stems or a very short one and are solitary or forming groups. Each rosette has 12-20 leaves; these are 25-70 cm long and 2.5-13.5 cm wide, more or less erect, and slightly grooved. In adult plants, the leaves are dull greyish green without spots; in young ones, they are densely pale spotted.
The inflorescences are up to 2 m high, erect with usually 2-3 branches. The flowers are cylindrical-triangular and 20-30 mm long, pale to bright pink and covered with soft, white, sometimes dense hairs -the species name refers to that fact (trich- : hairy and anthos: flower).
There are 2 subspecies, with small but consistent differences and (as far as is known) a wide gap between the distribution areas.
ssp. trichosantha grows in open dry bushland between 900 and 1700 m in the northernmost region of Ethiopia, in Eritrea, and maybe also in Sudan.
Marginal teeth 8-12 per 10 cm and 4.5 -5.5 mm long; flowers 20-23 mm long, mainly present in the dry season: Febr.-May.
ssp. longiflora is widespread further south in Ethiopia, where it occurs abundantly in open deciduous bushland on volcanic rocks and alluvial soils at altitudes between 1000 and 1950 m.
Marginal teeth 4-8 per 10 cm and 2-4 mm long; flowers (23-) 25-30 mm long, present almost throughout the year. The pictures below show this subspecies.
