plant stemless or short caulescent, propagating by shoots originating at the axils of the inflorescence bracts, elongated, naked, at first erect and peduncle like. leaves narrowed into the sheath, about 8–15 per rosette, 12–20 cm long; sheath very widely obovate, 1.5–2 cm long, 1–1.5 cm wide, densely appressed on both sides, white-lepidote, membranaceous, margins serrate, spines up to 0.5 mm long; blade elliptic to ovate-elliptic, 11–17 cm long, 14- 23 mm wide, gradually attenuate to the apex, apex long, usually finishing on a bristle, blade basally attenuated, the center channeled, appressed on both sides along the whole blade, more dense on the abaxial surface, margins undulate, from minutely serrate to serrate, spines antrorse, up to 0.5 mm long, 2 mm apart. inflorescence scapose, capitate, 2.5–3 cm diameter considering lateral fascicles; peduncle 3–5.5 cm long, elongating 15–20 cm long after flowering, 2–4 mm diameter, white-lepidote (brown in herbarium material); inflorescence* bracts similar to leaves but smaller, 7–8(–17) cm long, 0.7–1 cm wide. flowers few in each fascicle, 23–37 mm long; floral bracts elliptic to triangulate, asymmetric, cucullate, 12–13 mm long, 6–7(–12) mm wide, exceeding completely the ovary, apically attenuate, carinate, lepidote, margins serrate, apex spinose-acuminate, subpungent; sepals 10–13 mm long, connate by 4–5 mm, free lobes elliptic, obtuse, 6–8 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, cucullate, mucronate, mucro 1 mm long, wing-carinate, crenate in its upper half; petals obovate, obtuse, 14–26 cm long, 3–4 mm wide, suberect at anthesis. stamens included but + exerted at anthesis; filament 14–25 mm long; anther dorsifixed , 4 mm long, obtusely sagittate at the base, apex obtuse. pistil: style 24–25 mm long, with simple erect stigma, stylar lobes adnate, 4–5 mm long, margins minutely fimbriate; ovary trigonous, 11 mm long, 5 mm diameter; epigynous tube 2 mm long; ovules 14 per locule, obtuse.Edited from : Ramirez 1996. Systematics, phylogeny and chromosome number evolution in Cryptanthus (Bromeliaceae) .