plant small semicaulescent rosettes 30–60 cm tall at anthesis; propagating freely by basal rhizomes , leaves 15–20, the sheaths ovate, 8–11 cm long, 4–7 cm wide, green to red, densely white-iepidote, fleshy, the venation conspicuous, the margin entire. leaves: blade triangular, 20–45 cm long, 2–4 cm wide, the apex attenuate, terminating in a spine 5–7 mm long, densely lepidote, green to red, fleshy, serrate, with yellow spines 3–4 mm long. inflorescence: peduncle erect, 20–37 cm long, 4–7 mm wide, densely lepidote, green; peduncle bracts erect, the lower ones foliaceous, 15–17 cm long, 1–3 cm wide, the upper ones elliptic, acuminate, 7–15 cm long, 1–2 cm wide, chartaceous, margin serrate, the apex terminating in a spine 2–4 cm long, densely lepidote , pink; fertile part racemose, densely white lepidote-lanate throughout the trichomes branched, erect, 11–18 cm long, 5–12 cm wide, the rachis terminating in a coma of linear bracts; floral bracts linear, 2.5–4 cm long , 2–3 cm wide, the mucro 2–4 mm long; reflexed, the venation conspicuous, pink. flowers patent, the pedicels 2–5 mm long, 2 mm wide; sepals free, lanceolate, more or less symmetrical, 1.5–2.7 cm long, 4–8 mm wide, mucronate, coriaceous, with conspicuous venation,, densely lepidote, dark green, the apex purple; petals oblong-spatulate, apex recurved, obtuse, 4–4.5 cm long, 3–6 cm wide, with a fimbriate scale 4 mm long at the base, blackish-purple. stamens and pistil exserted; filarnents white, 3 cm long, the second series adnate to the base of the petals; anther yellow, 4–8 mm long. pistil: ovary globose, 1 cm diam, densely lepidote, the style 4.5 cm long, the stigma spiral (type ii of brown & gilmartin 1984). fruits globose berries 1 cm diam ( immature) , densely lepidote, green to purple.Edited from : Phytologia 59: 221-223.,. (1986)