Plants with decumbent stems, rooting at the lower nodes, forming clumps 1–10(–40) m long in their longest direction; stems leafy, the terminal 50– 100 cm vertical. Leaves 30–40 cm long, 5–8 cm wide at the base, lanceolate, evenly blue-green on both surfaces when young, becoming suffused with reddish colouration at the margins and the distal portion of their upper surfaces with age, crescent-shaped in cross-section when dry; margins with sharp red teeth 4–6 mm long spaced 1–3 cm apart near the base of the leaves, closer together towards the leaf tips; sap yellow when fresh, rapidly becoming bright red, drying to dark red or brownish-red, without a noticeable odour. Inflorescences paniculate, 70–120 cm long (including peduncle), 20–75 cm long (excluding peduncle); lower primary branches (15–)23–50 cm long, ascending to arcuate, often with 1(–2) secondary branches. Flowers confined to the distal 1/2–3/4 of the branches, pedicellate and spirally arranged, not secund, distance between lowest flowers 5–11 mm; bracts subtending the pedicels 5–9 mm long, narrowly triangular; pedicels about 10 mm long, not elongating in fruit; perianths (including lobes) 20–25 mm long, red, glabrous; outer perianth lobes 10–15 mm long, slightly recurved distally, with narrow, hyaline, minutely erose margins; stamens 6, the anthers versatile, ca. 2 mm long, extending about 1 mm beyond the perianth at anthesis but the perianth extending 3–5 mm beyond the anthers as the style matures; ovary superior, with many ovules; stigmas exserted 5–9 mm beyond the perianths at maturity. Capsules 15–20(–25 mm) long, 13–20 in diameter, ovoid, woody; seeds winged, 5–11 mm across (including the papery wing), triangular-pyramidal, outer surfaces ca. 1 mm across.
Aloe sanguinalis is know from two locations in Somaliland. At both locations, there are several clumps present. The two known locations of Aloe sanguinalis are open plains with sandy soils in which, among other species, Salvadora persica and Indigofera sparteola grow. The Alala Adka location is treeless but there are scattered Vachellia tortilis trees at the Lafarug site.
