Gasteria croucheri

G. croucheri grows into a large rozette up to 80cm in diameter . Juveniles are distichous.

Leaves are elongated triangular with an acute point. The leaf surface is smooth but not shiny, rather mat and very often has a white-bluish sheen on them as if powdered (glaucous).

The leaf surface is dark green to bluish green and may be uniform in colour or have white tranverse bands of interconnected spots.

G. croucheri  can be confused with G.excelsa because of its size, but the latter often has shiny leaves and certainly has smaller flowers.

 G. croucheri  produces offshoots from the base.

The flowerstalk can get to 50cm tall and is is sometimes branched.

 The flowers are large 2.5-4cm, pink with a white-green striped mouth. Some almost white varieties occur in the subspecies pendulifolia.

In the 1994 book these plants were described as the 'Umgeni' form but have now been accomodated in a subspecies.

The leaves are much longer and thinner than the type and hang down. Some are particularly glaucous. Some forms have very pale - yellow- flowers.

At one particular time this subspecies has also been elevated to species level as G. pendulifolia, but is is uncertain if this will be maintained.

in 2009 plants with particularly large hanging leaves (1.5m) has been discovered along the Mtentu and Msikaba river mouth and been described in 2011 as a subspecies.

Flowers as well are very large, 4-5cm but have the normal Longiflorae form.

Plants grow on sheer cliff faces in shade and from very large hanging groups. Its name is a tribute to its endemic nature of the Pondoland region