plant flowering 15 cm tall. leaves densely rosulate, ca 50 in number, laxly spreading, 0.7–1 m long; sheath elliptic, 7 x 4 cm, entire except toward the base of the blade, somewhat ferruginous, appressed brown punctate lepidote throughout; blade linear, acute to long attenuate, pungent, 8–18 mm wide, laxly serrate with 1–2 mm dark antrorse spines, appressed pale lepidote throughout, especially abaxially, bright green but the inner red when flowering; peduncle bracts densely imbricate, the lowest subfoliaceous and red, the upper narrowly elliptic and attenuate, reddish. inflorescence ovoid to ellipsoid, 8 x 6 cm, densely flowered; primary bracts lance ovate to elliptic, acute to long attenuate, 3–8 cm long, laxly serrate with 0.5–1 mm long spines, thin coriaceous, tan, densely pale lepidote, appearing white; branches with a flattened 6–18 mm long stipe, distichously 3–6 flowered, densely white floccose except the petals; floral bracts ovate to broadly elliptic, acute, 12–22 x 7–15 mm, laxly and minutely serrate, apically carinate, thin, somewhat nerved, pale green. flowers sessile, erect to slightly spreading; sepals free, very asymmetrical, oblanceolate, mucronate, 19–21 mm long, the adaxial pair carinate at the base, pale green; corolla tubular; petals ligulate, obtuse, 23–26 mm long, naked but with a pair of basal obtuse keels, purple.Edited from : Luther 1991a. (protologue) Miscellaneous new taxa of Bromeliaceae (VIII) .