; 0 acaulescent. leaves with a distinct petiole half a foot or more long, dilated gradually towards the base and a linear chartaceous indistinctly spine-margined blade 2 ft; or more long, 1/3 in; broad at the middle, green and glabrous above, thinly furfuraceous beneath; racemes lax, simple, finally half a foot long. flowers: pedicel very short, arcuate or erecto-patent. flowers not seen; calyx-tube oblong, 5/8 –3/4 in; long in the fruiting stage, adnate to the ovary nearly to its apex; segments shorter than the tube. fruits: seeds with a small nucleus and a broad horny border on three sides.Edited from : Baker 1889. (protologue) Handbook of the Bromeliaceae .