plant flowering to 1.8 m tall. leaves spreading, rosulate, to 90 cm long, densely appressed lepidote throughout especially abaxially, green tinged red; sheath elliptic, 15 cm long, 10 cm wide, dark castaneous abaxially; blade ligulate, acute to acuminate, pungent, 4–6 cm wide, coriaceous. inflorescence: peduncle erect to arching, 85 cm x 18 mm, sulcate, reddish brown; peduncle bracts densely imbricate, much exceeding the internodes, the lowest foliaceous and green, the upper lanceolate and red, densely appressed lepidote, the sheaths abaxially dark castaneous; fertile part twice-branched, 80 cm long, the branches spreading to secund pendent; primary bracts erect, lanceolate, acute, 5–12 cm long, carinate, punctate lepidote, red; primary branches short stipitate, 6–15 cm long, the ultimate branches 4–6 cm long, polystichously 3–8-flowered; floral bracts lanceolate, acute, 35–38 mm long, somewhat incurved at the apex, carinate, thin coriaceous, red to brown. flowers sessile, erect; sepals narrowly elliptic, acute, 33–35 mm long, carinate, connate ca 5 mm, greenish-yellow tinged red; corolla lobes spreading; petals ligulate, acute, 60 mm long, ca 1/2 connate, each appendaged with two 12 mm long basal scales, bright yellow.Edited from : Luther 1991a. (protologue) Miscellaneous new taxa of Bromeliaceae (VIII) .