plant ca 50 cm in diameter, very long caulescent, stem 20–30 cm long, propagating by short offsets produced along the stem. leaves ca 40 in number, equally distributed along the stem,spreading-recurved at anthesis but suberect before anthesis, forming an open round rosette; sheath suborbiculate to subreniform, 2 x 2.5–3 cm, very densely spinulose toward apex, nervate, green and glabrescent adaxially, reddish, dense, and coarsely white lepidote abaxially; blade sublinear-attenuate, acuminate-caudate, mainly the basal ones slightly narrowed toward base, 20–35 x 0.8–1 cm, canaliculate with a thicker median channel, green or abaxially reddish near the base, upper and lower sides slightly contrasting, glabrous adaxially, completely covered by white scales abaxially, margins straight, very densely spinose near the base with strongly antrorse spines 1–1.5 mm in length, subdense and minutely spinulose toward apex, spines less than 0.5 mm in length; inflorescence distinctly elongate, many flowered, ca 7 cm long, ca 3.5 cm in diameter. inflorescence: peduncle indistinct; primary bracts foliaceous; fascicles ca 12 in number, pulvinate, ca 20 mm long ( excluding the petals ), ca 20 mm wide, with ca, 10 flowers; floral bracts broadly ovate-triangulate, narrowly acute, submembranaceous, green, sparsely white-lepidote to glabrescent, about equaling the middle of the sepals' length, densely spinulose toward apex, from alate-carinate (the outer ones) to ecarinate (the inner ones), 14 x 12 mm. flowers all perfect sessile, ca 28 mm long, distinctly fragrant; sepals oblong lanceolate, acute and apiculate, 13 x 5 mm, free, entire, greenish toward apex, glabrous, the adaxial ones alate-carinate with keel decurrent on the ovary; petals spathulate, 24 x 9 mm, connate at base for ca 7 mm, white, the free lobes suborbiculate, rounded, exceeding the stamens but subspreading at anthesis and exposing them, without evident calluses, basal tube very narrow. stamens: filament 12 mm long, equally adnate to the petals for the length of its tube; anther ellipsoid, 2–3 mm long, dorsi fixed near the base, base sagittate, apex obtuse. pistil: ovary ca 6 mm long, trigonous, white; epigynous tube lacking; placentae apical; ovules near spherical, obtuse; style surpassing the anthers; stigma simple erect, white, the stylar lobes spathulate, erect, 1 x 0.5 mm, not contorted nor spiral, margins shortly crenulate.Edited from : J. Crypt. Soc.. (protologue) .