Aloe speciosa in flower

Aloe speciosa is usually a single-stemmed plant with tilted head. In the rare event of branching, as happened with the pictured specimen, this often takes place at the base when the seedlings form rosettes. Reynolds presented a photo of a plant with four branches growing near Fort Beaufort.

The characteristic tilted head is evident in one of the two rosettes. The species bears an Afrikaans name of slaphoringaalwyn (flaccid horn aloe) on account of this tilt.

The dead leaves do not drop off the stems, continuing to cover the lower parts of the trunk. This is a service of presenting free housing to a variety of small residents of the veld (Frandsen, 2017; Van Wyk and Smith, 2003; Reynolds, 1974; iNaturalist).