plant stemless, 60–70 cm high with inflorescence foliage the smallest plant forming a large rosette 60–80 cm in diameter leaf sheath longish-oval, 15–20 cm long, 8–9 cm wide, dull green, appressed, grey scaled leaf blade 50–60 cm long, 6–7 cm wide, lineal, dull green, appressed, grey scaled; margined with 2 mm long spines peduncle upright, sturdy, round, 40 cm long, 8 mm thick, green, white felted inflorescence simple, loose, 10–15 cm long, to 8 cm wide peduncle bracts longer than the internodes (stem segments), upright, green, grey scaled, 6–8 cm long, to 2 cm wide, pointed at the tip; margins toothed floral bracts spirally arranged round the felted axle, longer than the ovary, horizontal, the lower ones to 3–5 cm long, at the base 6 mm wide, long pointed, entire margins, drying before the flowers open, sparsely scaled to white felted, soon bare sepals 2 cm long, rose coloured, white felted, with 1 cm long brown, spined tips petals free, gathered into a tube, the tip somewhat flared, 4 cm long, 6 mm wide, cornflower-blue ovary 8 mm long, rose.Edited from : Bromeliads for Home, Garden, and Greenhouse, Eng T . (1978)