leaves 12–20 in a dense tubular rosette, 30–50 cm long; sheath large, elliptic, en¬tire, pale, brown-lepidote beneath; blade ligulate, broadly rounded and apiculate, scarcely if at all narrowed toward base, 3–6 cm wide, green, paler beneath, subentire or serrate with remote spines 0.2 mm long. inflorescence sunk in the center of the rosette; primary bracts broadly ovate with an acute triangular apex, about 3 times as long as the flowers, bright purple, laxly and minutely serrulate; floral bracts ovate, acute, 30 mm long, 14 mm wide, equaling 4/5 of the sepal, serrulate and brown-lepidote toward apex, submembranaceous. flowers sessile, 45–55 mm long; sepals lance-ovate, acute, 20–22 mm long, connate for 4–5 mm, membranaceous, glabrous, whitish or toward the apex purplish; petals high-connate, obtuse, red toward apex. stamens included. pistil: ovary 12 mm long, glabrous.Edited from : Smith & Downs 1979. Bromelioideae (Bromeliaceae) in Flora Neotropica.