plant with a large erect stem of 15–30 cm long covered by leaf-sheaths, propagating by basal or usually elongated erect axillary shoots produced near the inflorescence. leaves 20–40, recurved, equally and densely distributed along the stem; sheath suborbiculate, membranaceous, green or dark red on both sides, glabrous and lustrous inside, densely white lepidote and moderately corrugate outside, coarsely spinose toward apex, about 1.5 cm long, about 2 cm wide; blade narrowly lanceolate, 5–12 cm long, 1.5 cm wide near the middle, slightly narrowed at base, flexible and thin, somewhat canaliculate, completely covered by white scales beneath and contrasting with the green and glabrous upper surface, apex acuminate-caudate, margins undulate and subdensely serrate with spreading or antrorse spines of 1–3 mm long. inflorescence rather many flowered with 4–5 flowers in each of the about 7 fascicles, about 2 cm long; primary bracts foliaceous; floral bracts ovate-triangulate, acuminate and minutely apiculate, erect or spreading toward apex, from equaling the midpoint to almost equaling the sepals, entire, membranaceous, carinate, subdensely floccose-tomentellous outside. flowers sessile, about 27 mm long, fragrant; sepals about 10 mm long, strongly carinate, equally connate for 6–7mm, the free lobes subsymmetric, broadly elliptic, about 3 mm wide, acute and apiculate, entire; petals white, 25 mm long, forming a very narrow basal tube of 12 mm long, without calluses, free lobes suborbiculate, rounded, ca 13 mm long, ca 10 mm wide, suberect at anthesis. stamens: filament about 15 mm long, equally adnate to the petals tube and free above it; anther ca 3 mm long, base sagittate, apex slightly apiculate, fixed near the base. pistil: ovary subellipsoid, trigonous, about 4 mm long; ovules about 13 in each locule, obtuse. fruits globose, white 7 mm in diameter; seeds subovate, obtuse at one end and acute at the other, brown, 2–3 mm long, longitudinally slightly sulcate rugulose.Edited from : J. Crypt. Soc.. (protologue) .