plant epiphytic or terrestrial, propagating by short stolons of 20 mm in diameter. leaves 8–12, suberect, rosulate, subcoriaceous, forming a funnelform rosette; sheath elliptic, 15–20 cm long, ca 10 cm wide, densely brown lepi¬dote on both surfaces, dark brown or purple towards the base, greenish or with dark purple cross-bands or spots towards the apex; blade linear, 20–85 cm long 5.5–8 cm wide, white lepidote on both surfaces, green, mottled with irregu¬lar spots of dark green or with dark purple cross-bands or spots towards the base, margins laxly serrulate, spines 0.5–1 mm long, apex rounded or obtuse and apiculate. inflorescence: peduncle 5–7 cm long, 1.8–2 cm in diameter, white, subglabrous; peduncle bracts ovate, 3–6 cm long, membranous, suberect, entire or obscurely denticulate near the apex, rounded and apiculate, lepidote on both sides, hyaline or dark reddish purple towards the apex; fertile part simple, umbellate, sunk in the rosette, cylindric, 6–8 cm long, 3–5 cm in diameter; floral bracts the outer similar to the involucral (peduncle) bracts but narrower, the inner linear, 45–65 mm long, 7–17 mm wide, membranous, entire, dark reddish purple toward apex, finely nervate, lepidote on both surfaces, apex rounded or obtuse and apiculate, to 3/4 equaling the sepals, ecarinate. flowers 18–28, 6–8.5 cm long, slightly fragrant, pedicels very distinct, the outer complanate, 10–15 mm long, to 10 mm wide at base, the inner ones to 25 mm long, subcylindric; sepals strongly asymmetric, apex acute and apiculate, 29–37 mm long, ca 12 mm wide, connate at base for 2–4 mm, membranous, lepidote inside, ecarinate, dark reddish purple; petals narrowly obovate, 38–45 mm long, to 17 mm wide, white, obtuse-emarginate but appearing acute by the inrolling of the margins, connate at base in a common tube with the filaments for 15–17 mm, remaining erect and incurved toward the apex at anthesis but disclosing the included stamens through lateral openings, after anthesis strongly enrolled, bearing 2 cupular appendages, these flaring, entire to scalloped or substellate 5–17 mm above the base. stamens: filament equally free above the common tube with the petals; anther sublinear, base sagittate, apex apiculate, ca 8 mm long, dorsifixed near the base. pistil: ovary narrowly oblong¬elliptic, subcomplanate to subtrigonous, ca 17 mm long, ca 6 mm in diameter, glabrous, white; epigynous tube almost lacking; placentae from central to apical; ovules many, obtuse.Edited from : Leme 1991h. An Addition to the Genus Wittrockia .