plant flowering over 6 dm high. leaves numerous in an infundibuliform rosette, 85 cm long, covered with pale appressed scales; sheath elliptic, ample, 15 cm long, often purple; blade very narrowly triangular, about 5 cm wide at base. inflorescence: peduncle curved, stout; peduncle bracts densely imbricate, subfoliaceous with roseate bases, their blades exceeding the inflorescence; fertile part subdensely once-branched; primary bracts with broadly ovate sheaths several times shorter than the spikes; spikes pinnately arranged, spreading, subsessile, lance-oblong, acute, thick but distinctly complanate, 10–12 cm long, 30–35 mm wide; floral bracts very densely imbricate, very broadly ovate, 4 cm long, 3 cm wide, exceeding the sepals, acute, apiculate, broadly convex, carinate, thin-coriaceous and verrucose when dry, roseate, dull, sparsely lepidote. flowers subsessile; sepals lanceolate, acute, 25 mm long, the adaxial ones short-connate and alate-carinate; petals 45 mm long, violet. stamens exserted.Edited from : Smith & Downs 1977. Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae). in Flora Neotropica.