The branched flower stalk of Aloe capitata var. quartziticola emerges in the latter half of winter (typically in February at the Ruth Bancroft Garden), rising to a height of 3 feet or more (1 m). Each branch is topped with a rounded head of flowers, tubular at the bud stage and widening at the mouth when they open to become narrowly bell-shaped. The buds are a vivid glossy orange, while the open flowers are yellow. Unlike most other species of Aloe, this one’s flowers do not necessarily open in sequence from bottom to top, often starting somewhere in between. The long pedicels (the stalks of the individual flowers) are reddish.