plant stemless, flowering 60–80 cm high or more leaves somewhat rigid, rosulate, cretaceous. leaves: sheath sub-orbicular, to 6 cm long; blade lanceolate-subulate, 50 cm or more long, at the base 5–6 cm wide, rolled back, very dense appressed lepidote. inflorescence: peduncle erect, robust, glabrous, covered imbricately with the base of the leaves (peduncle bracts?) inflorescence a once-branched panicle, to 50 cm long, spikes 25–30 or more, 10–12 cm or more long, erect or suberect, lanceolate, 1.5 cm wide, 2–3 flowered, rachis glabrous, and 4–5 prophylls which are short mucronate and keeled primary bracts pale rose, ovate, inflated, appressed lepidote, blades of the lower ones subulate, upper ones acuminate floral bracts 3–4 cm long, lanceolate, erect, mucronate, keeled, rigid, glabrous, hyaline edges, green or a very light pink, covering over the rachis, exceeding the sepals. flowers erect, 5 cm long; sepals 2–3 cm long, linear lanceolate, acute, glabrous, pale green, adaxial pair keeled and long connate; petals violet, erect, forming a narrow tube, shorter than the stamens and style.Edited from : Lasser & Maguire 1950. (protologue) A Report On The Plants Of The Phelps Cerro Yavi Expedition Of 1947 .