[1][2] The Aloes of this section are all shrubby and form short stems, topped with succulent lanceolate leaves.

The flowers appear in racemes and range in colour from orange or yellow to red.

A minority are indigenous to the smaller islands of Reunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues, Aldabra and Pemba.

These form a clade that likely radiated from Madagascar following the roots of the major ocean currents.

Most of the species of the smaller Indian Ocean islands grow on beaches or very near to the coast.