plant short-caulescent. leaves more or less rosulate, the inner to 70 cm long; sheath narrowly elliptic, spinose-serrate, pulverulent beneath with allutaceous scales; blade linear, acuminate, 13 mm wide at base, glabrate at maturity, carinate-compliŽcate toward apex, serrulate with antrorse spines 2 mm long. inflorescence globose, capitiform, 7 cm in diameter, many-flowered; outer bracts narrowly elliptic, equaling the sepals or slightly shorter, laciniate-serrulate, blood red, appressed-lepidote; floral bracts lanceolate, acute, shorter than the sepals. flowers slightly over 5 cm long; sepals lanceolate, acuminate, pungent-mucronate, 19 mm long, coarsely subfloccose toward apex; petals 23 mm long, yellow (! mez). stamens conspicuously exerted; anther 4.5 mm long, rounded at both ends. pistil: ovary compressed-angulate, glabrous or minutely lepiŽdote; epigynous tube subcylindric, 5 mm long; style slightly shorter than the stamens.Edited from : Smith & Downs 1977. Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae). in Flora Neotropica.