leaves many, all alike (?), densely fasciculate, to 5 dm long; sheath narrowly triangular, abruptly dilated and brown at base; blade persistent, linear-lanceolate, subfiliform-attenuate, contracted toward base but not actually petiolate, 20 mm wide, antrorse-spinulose throughout, sparsely ferruginous-lepidote beneath. inflorescence: peduncle suberect, stout, slightly puberulous; peduncle bracts narrowly triangular, filiform-attenuate, exceeding the internodes but exposing much of the peduncle, minutely serrulate toward apex; fertile part simple, 16 cm long, much exceeded by the leaves, to 20-flowered, puberulous; floral bracts lance-triangular, suberect at anthesis, 25 mm long, exceeding the pedicels, entire. flowers: pedicel to 10 mm long, increased in fruit. flowers suberect at anthesis, ca 5 cm long; sepals symmetric, subtriangular, obtuse, 16 mm long, ecarinate, red-orange, puberulous; petals subacute, 4 cm long, red-orange, bearing an irregularly crenate scale at base. stamens slightly shorter than the petals. pistil: ovary obconic, 3/4 inferior. fruits indehiscent, stout-fusiform, 17 mm long, 12 mm in diameter; seeds with a narrow thick dorsal wing slightly falcate expanded at apex.Edited from : Smith & Downs 1974. Pitcairnioideae (Bromeliaceae) in Flora Neotropica.