Aloe vera is a stemless or very short stemmed plant, growing to 60-100 centimetres tall. The leaves are thick and a fleshy green to green-gray. Some also have white flecks on their upper and lower stem surfaces.
The margin of the leaf is serrated and has small white teeth. The flowers are produced in summer on a spike up to 90 centimetres tall, each flower being pendulous, with a yellow tubular corolla.