Aloiampelos striatula is a robust rambling plant that can form a large shrub of up to 2 m in height. It is closely related to Cape Town's Aloiampelos commixta, but it is easily distinguished from it by the distinctive dark green stripes on the stems and leaf sheaths (its species name, striatula, means "little stripes"), and by its thin, recurved leaves (which, like its flowers, are more densely packed). The leaves of striatula are dark green and strongly recurved, with numerous small white teeth along their margins. The flowers are reddish-orange and appear densely on tall (400mm), un-branched, cone-shaped racemes throughout the summer. The unique Caesia variety of this species - found only around Molteno in the Eastern Cape - has lighter grey-green leaves and bright yellow flowers.
