plant stemless, to 50 cm high. leaves few, forming a broad funnel rosette; sheath distinct, longish ovate, (17 cm high, 10–11 cm wide), both sides densely lepidote, top side (inner) with large brown-violet flecks, the edges smooth, the transition to the blade dense with dark brown teeth; blade ligulate, more or less rounded and tapering to a sharp tip, pale green marmorations, ca 50 cm long, 5 cm wide, both sides lepidote, denser underneath, scales in rows between the nerves, the edges with antrorse, dark-brown, 1–2 mm long teeth. inflorescence: peduncle erect, strong, 10 mm thick, 30 cm long, woolly lepidote, entirely covered by the peduncle bracts; peduncle bracts erect, numerous, densely imbricate, already drying brownish at tim of anthesis, lanceolate, 7–4 cm long, the lower ones rounded and tipped, the upper long acuminate, both sides lepidote, the edges smooth; fertile part not exceeding the leaves, simple, pine-cone shaped, with a sterile tip, 11 cm long, 7–8 cm wide, many flowered; rachis not visible, densely polystichous with sessile, spreading, 5 cm long flowers; floral bracts lanceolate, long acuminate, the lower ones 35 mm long, the upper 10 mm long, brownish. flowers: sepals free, asymmetric, the base succulent, 12 mm long, pinkish red, with a 4 mm long, dark brown, spiny tip, verrucose, for all towards the base scattered lepidote; petals ligulate, 4 cm long, forming a slender tube, the tip spreading, the base with two large horn shaped, a little split at the tip, ligules, blue-violet, white at base. stamens shorter than the petals, with white anthers and whitish pollen. pistil: style as long as the stamens, with weak spiralled twisted white lobes, the edges with rows of transparent papillae ovary 8 mm long, 8 mm wide, pink-red, verrucose, scattered lepidote; epigynous tube short; placentae apical; ovules numerous, blunt. fruits a blue berry.Edited from : Gross 1998a. (protologue) Eine neue Aechmea-Art aus Ekuador .