plant propagating by stolons, flowering 3–4 dm high. leaves typically 5, forming a tubular tank; sheath about equaling the blades, white and purple spotted outside, purple-marbled inside; blade ligulate, acuminate to a sub pungent apex, 8–20 cm long, 3–6 cm wide, white-maculate beneath, laxly and minutely serrulate. inflorescence: peduncle erect, 4 mm thick, red, densely white-floccose; lower internodes 5 cm long, upper 3 cm; lower peduncle-bracts lance-oblong, 9–10 cm long, 25 mm wide, greenish rose, the upper ca 6 clustered beneath the inflorescence, acuminate, slightly smaller, deep red, white-lepidote beneath; fertile part simple, to 7-flowered, 10 cm long; axis red, densely white floccose; floral bracts not described. flowers: pedicel to 10 mm or longer, slightly geniculate, red, white-floccose; sepals free, linear, rounded and emarginate, 17 mm long, 5 mm wide, white-floccose, the lower half red, the upper green; petals linear-spatulate, 35 mm long, bearing 2 denticulate scales at base, the blade dark violet, the claw green. stamens: anther linear, 4 mm long; pollen ellipsoid, bisulcate. pistil: ovary sub cylindric, 12 mm long, red, white-floccose; epigynous tube none; placentae slightly above median; ovules many, obtuse.Edited from : Smith & Downs 1979. Bromelioideae (Bromeliaceae) in Flora Neotropica.