plant epiphytic, flowering 45–70 cm tall (when inflorescence extended), propagating by short basal stolons, ca 5 cm long, ca 1 cm in diameter. leaves 15 to 20, rosulate, suberect, coriaceous, forming at base a narrow funnelform rosette; sheath elliptic, 9–11 x 5–5.5 cm, densely and minutely pale to white lepidote, adaxially green or purple toward the apex but color partially obscured by the trichomes, abaxially green toward the apex and pale castaneous near the base; blade linear, (20-) 40–90 x 2.4–3.8 cm, green, abaxially subdensely to densely and inconspicuously white-lepitote, adaxially subdenselywhite lepidote to glabrescent, trichomes not obscuring leaf color, inconspicuously narrowed toward the base, apex acuminate and ending in a dark, somewhat rigid, spine 0.8–1 cm long, margins subdensely to densely spinulose, spines 0.5–1 mm long, 2–7 mm apart, narrowly triangular-uncinate, dark brown, strongly antrorse, sometimes retrorsely uncinate. inflorescence: peduncle erect, slender, 32–45 cm long, ca 0.4 cm in diameter, sparsely white-lanate to glabrescent, green, shorter than the leaves; peduncle bracts narrowly lanceolate, slenderly acuminate, 25–50 x 8–12 mm, stramineous, chartaceous and nerved, entire except for the basal ones inconspicuously spinulose near the apex, inconspicuously white-lanate near the base to glabrescent, erect, equaling to shorter than the internodes; fertile part shortly particulate, laxly once-branched, erect, 17–27 cm long, 11–17 cm in diameter, rachis 2–5 mm in diameter, terete to subangulose toward the apex, slightly flexuous toward the apex, inconspicuously white-lanate to glabrous, green; primary bracts resembling the upper peduncle bracts, gradually smaller toward the inflorescence apex, entire, membranaceous, suberect to spreading, sparsely white-lanate near the base, 8–35 x 2–5 mm, equaling to exceeding the stipes; primary branches bearing an inconspicuous apical coma of sterile bracts, rachis slender, straight, slightly subangulose-excavated, 1.5–2 mm in diameter, green, glabrescent to inconspicuously and sparsely white lepidote, trichomes fimbriate, the lateral branches 7 to 11 (20), suberect to spreading, 3.5–11 cm long, 1.5–1.7 cm in diameter, 12- to 33-flowered, stipes ebracteate, 7–15 x 2–3 mm, slightly complanate, green, sparsely white-lanate to glabrescent, the terminal branch 7–8 cm long, erect, ca 30-flowered; floral bracts broadly ovate-triangular, acuminate with a spinescent apex, stramineous, nerved, entire, inconspicuously white-lepidote to glabrous, shorter than the ovary, ecarinate, 2–3.5 x 1.5 mm. flowers sessile, 10–11 mm long, odorless, spreading, subdensely disposed, subevenly arranged to inconspicuously subverticillate; sepals strongly asymmetrical with the lateral membranaceous wing narrowly rounded and distinctly surpassing the midnerve but about equaling the apical mucro, 3 x 1.8–2.5 mm including the 0.5–1 mm long apical mucro, connate at base for ca 0.5 mm, pale yellowish-green, ecarinate, glabrous or nearly so, inconspicuously verrucose; petals subspatulate, broadly acute and slenderly apiculate, 6–6.5 x 2 mm, free, white, spreading-recurved toward the apex at anthesis, without appendage but bearing 2 distinct longitudinal callosities about equaling the filaments. stamens: filament terete, white, the antesepalous ones free, ca 3.5 mm long, the antepetalous basally adnate to the petals for 11.5 mm; anther 1.5–2 mm long, dorsifixed at middle, base obtuse, apex acute and distinctly apiculate; pollen biporate, broadly ellipsoid to subglobose, apertures small, exine reticulate, muri slightly thickened. pistil: stigma conduplicate-spiral, ellipsoid, blades green, subentire; ovary broadly clavate, terete, 3–4 mm long, ca 2 mm in diameter at base, 2.5–3 mm in diameter at apex, pale yellowish-green, glabrous to sparsely white-lepidote, trichomes fimbriate, sparsely verrucose; epigynous tube inconspicuous, ca 0.5 mm long; placentation apical; ovules obtusely apiculate. fruits unknown.Edited from : Siqueira & Leme 2007. (protologue) Fragments of the Atlantic Forest of Northeast Brazil - Biodiversity, Conservation and the Bromeliads .