Plants caulescent, forming groups of up to 15 rosettes; stems to 15 cm long, decumbent. Leaves 9-12, 20-30 cm long, 4-5 cm wide, spreading horizontally, lanceolate or ensiform, attenuate, surfaces olive-green, unspotted, lower surface convex, upper surface mostly flat, becoming caniculate near the tip; exudate dark orange-brown when fresh, drying brown; margins lime green, usually entire, sometimes with 4-8 teeth near the top; teeth to 0.5 mm long, 4 mm wide, white. Inflorescences to 40 cm tall, usually 1 per rosette, with 6-12 branches, the lowest below the middle of the inflorescence; peduncle upto 5 mm wide at the base, dark green, waxy; branches oblique, flowers secund, partly imbricate, confined to the distal 1/2-3/4 of the inflorescence and its branches; bracts about 3 mm long, 1 mm wide, ovate-acute, scarious, white with 3-5 brown veins converging at the the tip; pedicels about 5 mm long. Flowers pink, sometimes with a yellow mouth; perianth 20-25 mm long, 4-5 mm wide, slightly constricted above the ovary, outer tepals free for about 5 mm, with 3-5 green veins and yellowish margins, inner tepals lighter in color with 3 brownish veins; filaments whitish-yellow; anthers orane, eventually exserted to 7 mm; ovary about 6 m long, 3 mm in diameter; stigma exserted to 6 mm. Capsule about 18 mm long, 4 mm in diamter, ovoid, disinctly ribbed, initially light green and with a waxy coating, drying brown; seeds black, 4 mm long, 6 mm wide, with a large papery wing. Juvenileplants strongly distichous, with white, oblong spots.
Aloe kahiniigrows on the Nugaal, a thick succession of Eocene anhydrite-gypsum beds interlayed with limestones. Members of the species were treated as Aloe luntii in the Flora of Somalia. That species is now know to be confined to sutheastern Yemen (McCoy and Lavranos Hazeltonia 13: 32).