One can only wonder why De Candolle, who described this species in 1838, gave it this name, bearing in mind that aloides means “aloe-like”.
The plants form straggly shrubs of up to 70 cm tall, with few branches which are bright purple when young, becoming greyish brown with age. The cylindrical leaves are 3-7 cm long and 0.2-0.5 cm thick.
The species occurs on rocks and dunes near the coast from southern Namibia to the Cape Peninsula, where in July-October the plants are decorated with fragrant yellow flowerheads .
