plant forming a large leaf rosette, from whose centre rises the pyramidal, triple branched inflorescence approximately 1 m high. leaves glabrous, dark green, and the underside with scattered white dots, the lower leaf sheath 20 cm long, 13 cm wide and not spined on the edge, the actual leaf area somewhat 60–80 cm long, 9 cm wide, at the top with outward pointing spine, bordered with protruding horizontally, short, barely 2 mm long spiky teeth; the peduncle and inflorescence axis woolly white hairy, only the lower portion of the peduncle up to the flowering branches 40 cm long, dense with narrow lanceolate, 10–11 cm long, pointed and 2 cm wide, dry membranous bracts,which on the underside are white woolly and glabrous on the top; similar bracts towards the top but smaller to the bottom of the flower spike; first order; the axis of the panicle of flowers are scattered to all sides and have once again numerous flower stems 2nd order; the lower flower stems are up to 25 cm long and the upper part becomes gradually upwards to an equally long top, resulting in a regular pyramidal panicle of 50 cm long; bracts at the bottom of the flower pedicels from 1–1.5 mm long, broad at the base suddenly tapering to an awl-like tip; those at the very bottom of the flowers similar but smaller or completely absent; the side branch of the 2nd order has 1 to 5 flowers, of which the top flower is always stalked, the side ones sessile and the lower ones stalked; in other words the stalked flowers are actually branches of the 3rd degree with only a sessile top flower, as well as the top flower is the extension of the pedicel; the calyx above the ovary is glabrous the same as the ovary, pale flesh coloured, 1.5 cm long, the calyx lobes rounded at the top, below the tip on the back with a small reddish-brown, spine, so tightly wrapped together that it is hard to keep them and the calyx apart. flowers: petals like the 3 calyx lobes, long, acute, 4–5 mm longer than the calyx lobes, purple with darker veins. stamens: filament six shorter than the petals, 3 fused with the petals, 3 free, linear; anther linear, mounted approximately in the middle on the back, in 2 parts. pistil: ovary in 3 chambers with many ovate shaped eggs attached at the top, below the top of the chambers the placenta is attached; style shorter than the stamen, with capitate stigma, whose three lobes are spirally twisted; our figure (a) shows the whole plant in strong reduction, (b) one of the top branches of the panicle is natural size, (c) petal and stamen attached, (d) the three free filaments and style; (e) the style, (f) longitudinal cut of the ovary, fig; c f increased in size.Translated by Derek Butcher from: Regel 1887. Aechmea Hökeli Rgl. n.sp. .