plant epiphyte, stemless with rhizomes, flowering 28 cm high without inflorescence, 42 cm wide. leaves ca20, forming a rosulate almost cylindrical tube; sheath inside violet blade almost rigid, channelled, concave, a dent about halfway up then a little recurved, with brown spines on the margin, strong and prickly (6mm) toward the base, smaller toward the tip, 5 mm apart, the tip emarginate caused by the sharply bent back spiny tip, green, strongly white banded transverse, both sides lepidote. inflorescence simple, very dense spike, ovoid, the top obtuse, without peduncle 3.5 cm long, 2.5 cm wide; peduncle thick, dense white tomentose; peduncle bracts papery, entire, pink, 1/4 to 1/2 hugging the peduncle, elliptic, almost concave, tip acute, glabrous, almost erect, 6 cm long in the middle, the upper ones 1 cm longer, congested a little below the rachis; rachis not visible, white tomentose, 2 cm long floral bracts very small, 1–2 mm long, entire, tip acuminate, upper ones almost absent. flowers 16 mm long, sessile; sepals yellow, white tomentose, free, strongly asymmetric, the tip pink, strong, affixed to the side (not the tip), 5 mm long; petals yellow, erect, the tip rounded, cucullate-concve, free, two fimbriate cales above the base. stamens and stigma enclosed ovary green, tomentose, 5 mm long, irregularly grooved, clearly forming a funnel form tube.Edited from : Reitz 1962. De Catharinensilitis Bromeliaceis Novis .