leaves 20–30 in a spreading rosette, often more than 1 m long, subchartaceous; sheath ovate, distinct, large, densely and finely appressed-lepidote; blade ligulate, subobtuse with a broad pungent brown mucro, 3- 7 cm wide, closely serrulate, appressed-lepidote beneath. inflorescence: peduncle stout, erect; peduncle bracts imbricate, lance-elliptic, green, pungent, serrulate; fertile part simple, many-flowered, ovoid to cylindric, 5–28 cm long, 4- 7 cm in diameter, bearing a coma of sterile bracts at the apex; floral bracts densely imbricate with apices spreading at anthesis, ovate-elliptic, broadly acute, slightly shorter than the mature flowers, scarlet, appressed-lepidote when young, becoming subglabrous, serrulate, subcoriaceous, flowers sessile, about 32 mm long. flowers: sepals strongly asymmetric, subelliptic, 13 mm long, mucronulate, glabrous, free; petals about twice as long as the sepals, acute, white. stamens included, the second series connate with the petals up to the free part of the scales; anther sublinear, 6 mm long, mucronulate. pistil: ovary 6 mm long, 3-angled; epigynous tube wanting; style about equaling the stamens; berry globose, 7 mm in diameter. fruits: seeds subfusiform, 3 mm long.Edited from : Smith & Downs 1979. Bromelioideae (Bromeliaceae) in Flora Neotropica.