Aloe rupestris, the bottle-brush aloe previously known as A. nitens, is usually single-stemmed growing tall, from 6 m to 8 m in height (SA Tree List No. 30.3). This plant in cultivation in Melbourne, Australia has many small shoots at its base, a feature that is known to occur, although branches of the main stem are rare.

The environment within which Aloe polyphylla grows is atypical of southern Africa. The bleak, misty Maluti Mountains of western Lesotho are quite unsuitable for most of the other Aloe species of this generally Aloe rich region. .

Aloe brevifolia is one of the dwarf aloes bearing branching clusters of compact rosettes. The clump that develops from offshoots at the base forms a shallow dome in mature plants that grow well.