plant strong to 40 cm high leaves to 40 cm long, to 35 mm wide above the sheath, gradually narrows to a subulate tip, rigid, becoming grey when dry. inflorescence: peduncle very strong, conspicuously shorter than the leaves, covered very densely by the sheaths of the peduncle bracts, tip clearly recurved or incurved, shorter than the inflorescence; fertile part many flowered, a dense once-branched panicle, with up to 12 spikes very close together, pinnately inserted on the axis, equal, erect to spreading compound; primary bracts much exceeding the lower to middle spikes, with wide ovate-ovate (sheaths) extending into a recurved subulate blade, the highest one pointed and shorter than the spike; spikes fan shaped, 4 - 6 flowered, never more than 40 mm long, to 30 mm wide, not very complanate, elliptic; floral bracts densely imbricate, very conspicuously lepidote on the back, the tip a little incurved, acutely carinate, leathery, to 25 mm long, equalling the sepal. flowers erect; sepals abaxial free, adaxial connate to 4mm, leathery, back sometimes lepidote, sometimes smooth, acutely carinate, almost triangular, long acute; petals twice as long as the sepal, tubular erect, shorter than the stamens.Edited from : Mez 1935. Bromeliaceae (part 1-4) in Engler, A. (ed) Das Pflanzenreich.