plant to 1 m tall. leaves essentially monomorphic, spreading, rosulate, to 0.6 rn long, pseudopetiolate, more or less glabrous adaxially, with a membrane of coalescented brown scales abaxially, green; sheath broadly elliptic, 4 x 3 cm, entire, nerved, castaneous, glabrous and lustrous at the base, densely brown lepidote toward the blade; blade with a 15–20 x 12 cm, conspicuously channeled, pseudopetiole, the upper portion of the blade lanceolate acute, 30 x 9 cm, densely and finely serrate toward the apex. inflorescence: peduncle decurved, to 30 cm long, 5 mm in diameter, red; peduncle bracts imbricate, elliptic, acute, 4–8 cm long, thin, nerved, entire, red; fertile part simple, cylindric, densely polystichous-flowered, to 25 cm long, apically sterile; floral bracts densely imbricate, elliptic, acute, 2–7 cm x 7–22 mm, thin coriaceous, nerved, rose-red to red turning black after anthesis. flowers 2–6 mm pedicellate, erect; sepals lanceolate, obtuse, 23 mm long, carinate, thin, nerved, brownish-red; corolla zygomorphic; petals ligulate, obtuse, 7 cm long, each appendaged with a single 10 mm long basal scale, rose or red. pistil: ovary ca 1/2 inferior.Edited from : Luther 1991a. (protologue) Miscellaneous new taxa of Bromeliaceae (VIII) .