plant stemless, flowering to 45 cm high. leaves bent over, in large numbers, forming a; 120 cm wide, to 35 cm high rosette; outer rosette-leaves are smaller; sheath ca distinct, longish-oval, 8–10 cm long, 5 cm wide, at the base on both sides chestnut brown, densely appressed lepidote; blade ligulate, acuminate, to 80 cm long, 3 cm wide, underneath white lepidote, upperside almost glabrous, at the edge with small, upward pointing teeth. inflorescence erect, once-branched, 40 cm long; peduncle erect, thick (1 cm in diameter), 22 cm long, pale crimson-red, scattered lepidote, densely covered by the peduncle bracts the bottom ones subfoliate, the upper with crimson sheath,( only the uppermost serrate, normally smooth,) and drawn together, 4–2,5 cm long, serrated blade, scattered white lepidote, all longer than the internodes; fertile section of the inflorescence 20 cm long, 8 cm wide; rachis thick, round, pale crimson, brown floccose; primary bracts ovate, the bottom ones with a drawn together tip, the upper ones only tipped, densely serrate, crimson, underneath very much scattered lepidote, above glabrous, shiny, ca 4 cm long, 2.5 cm wide at the base, spreading almost horizontal and bent, all longer than the numerous, polystichous spike; spikes 4- to 5-flowered, broad- ovate, sessile, 2 cm long, 4 cm wide; rachis* geniculate; floral bracts imbricate, suborbicular, tipped, creased, crimson, densely serrate, underneath very scattered lepidote, ecarinate, towards the tip occasionally carinate, 2 cm wide, 1.5 cm long, weakly nerved (when fresh). flowers sessile, distichous, spreading, dense, (rachis not visible); sepals white, asymmetrical, spreading, 1 cm long, tip spreading, serrulate at the tip, glabrous, underneath some floccose; petals white, ligulate, hardly opening, weakly succulent, ca 1.6 cm long, 0.5 cm wide, at the base 2 large, fimbriate ligulae, dark brown when dry. pistil: ovary globose, ca 5 mm high, white, dense white floccose, epigynous tube short; placenta apical; ovules blunt.Translated by Butcher from: Rauh 1988a. (protologue) Bromelienstudien (Mitteilung 20). I. Neue und wenig bekannte Arten aus Peru und anderen Ländern .