plant stemless, not at all more than 25 cm high. leaves many, almost spreading, rosulate, 15 - 20 cm long, both sides very dense minute appressed lepidote; sheath broad ovate, decidedly conspicuous, blackish brown; blade linear-triangular, long acuminate, pungent, 8 mm wide at base. inflorescence: peduncle erect or ascending, slender; peduncle bracts erect, densely imbricate, broad ovate, lepidote, the bottom ones or nearly all with linear blades; fertile part simple or poorly digitate; primary bracts similar to the upper bracts, barely larger than the floral bracts; spikes, variable, from narrow oblong and acute, to wide elliptic and obtuse, 4 - 9 cm long, strongly complanate, often with a sterile bract towards the base; rachis slender, nearly straight; floral bracts erect, imbricate, but often not totally obscuring the rachis, ovate, acute or obtuse apiculate, 20 –25 mm long, 9 - 12 mm wide, exceeding the sepal, 3 - 6 times longer than the internodes, strongly keeled, leathery, smooth, glabrous or a few lepidote towards the tip. flowers subsessile; sepals lanceolate, acute, adaxial high connate; petals tubular erect, narrow, 30 - 35 mm long, violet. stamens exserted. fruits slender cylinder, acute, 3 cm long.Edited from : Smith 1953d. Some new combinations in Guatemalan Bromeliaceae .