Gasteria bicolor var. bicolor

Gasteria bicolor var. bicolor, commonly known in Afrikaans as the bosaalwee (bush aloe), has bigger leaves than G. bicolor var. liliputana, the other well-known variety of the species. The leaves of this plant are also distichous, growing in two opposing, vertical arrays, whereas those of var. liliputana form small rosettes. This plant is also called the ruigtebeestong (brushwood cattle-tongue, referring to the leaf shape) in Afrikaans.

The leaves are lavishly mottled or dotted with unevenly grouped and banded white markings. Young green leaf areas contrast against the reddish brown that develops in the outer parts, also the yellow of old leaves already dying off. In all the fan of leaves is a colourful affair, also when no flowers are present.

There is a geometric pattern in the leaf bases where they join. This plant lacks the leaf keel or ridge on the outer surfaces found on the some other Gasteria species.

The distribution of the variety is in the southwest of the Eastern Cape.

The habitat is under or close to shrubs that provide shade and physical protection in the veld. It doesn't mean that the seed picks its spot, but that the surviving plants are those enjoying sufficient benefits to survive life's early challenges. The habitat population of the variety is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Smith, et al, 2017; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).