plant with short 2 cm thick, 2 cm long, erect, rooted basal stem, multiplying by means of short stolons. leaves few (8–10), in a growing stage builds an erect, 15 - 20 cm high, flattening out when flowering, 30 –40 cm diam, large rosette; sheath distinct, to 2.5 cm high, 3.5 cm wide, yellowish white, upper side glabrous, underneath the upper hird dense white lepidote with smooth edges; blade narrow triangular, lomg attenuate, succulent, not narrowing near the sheath for 15 - 20 cm, the upper half from the sheath 1.5 cm wide, the edhs strongly and laxly toothed, both sides dense white lepidote, scales on the underneath pale leathery brown, upper side occasionally in bands. inflorescence deeply sunk in the rosette, densely once-branched, seldom simple, to 1.8 cm wide, 2 cm high, with 8 - 12 short side spikes; peduncle very short or missing; peduncle bracts as far as existing subfoliate; primary bracts the outside (= basal) subfoliate, diminishing in length to the middle of the inflorescence; side spikes sessile, short, to 2 cm long, with 2 - 6 sessile, equally high erect, spirally arranged flowers; floral bracts long lancelike, smooth edges, 10 - 12 mm long, 5 mm wide at base, tapering to a sharp woolly lepidote tip, sharply keeled, shorter than the sepals. flowers: sepals strongly asymmetric, narrow triangular, spiny tipped, ca 10 mm long, sharply keeled - the flower for that reason is three angled in cross section - the tip scattered lepidote, almost free to the base; petals –2.5 cm long, white, narrow tongue shaped, with 2 thickened keels at the base and a ca 1 cm long, flat broadening out, 4 mm wide, blunt ovate platten. stamens enclosed, with white, straight, free filaments and almost arrow shaped, 2 mm long, bending outwards anther. pistil: style long, three edged, with 3 erect blunt lobes; ovary 3 edged, ca 4 mm long, 2 mm thick, placenta few, sub-apical; epigynous tube indistinct. fruits 3 edged, thin membranous, 4 mm high, with a few longish kidney-shaped brown seed.Edited from : Rauh 1988a. Bromelienstudien (Mitteilung 20). I. Neue und wenig bekannte Arten aus Peru und anderen Ländern .