Plants acaulescent, sometimes with offsets from base. Leaves about 20-25, rosulate, sometimes sub-distichous or sub-spirally twisted, lanceolate-attenuate, about 35 cm long, 8-10 cm broad at base, with a portion of the apical part dried and twisted; upper surface flat to slightly concave, green below, somewhat brownish upwards, with numerous longitudinal dull whitish striations and numerous somewhat 'H' shaped whitish spots irregularly scattered, not arranged in transverse bands; lower surface convex, paler low down, greener and more spotted in upper half, rather lineate; margins sinuate-dentate, armed with pale brown horny deltoid pungent deflexed teeth 2-3 mm long, 10-15 mm distant, the interspaces rather straight. Inflorescence: A branched panicle, 1-1.5 met. high, with numerous secondary and tertiary branches, usually 2 (sometimes 3) from a rosette. Peduncle slender, flattened low down, about 15 mm diam., more terete upwards. Branched about the middle or higher, the lowest 3-5 branches rebranched high up, each with 4-7 branchlets, producing a total of up to 60 racemes; the lowest primary branch subtended at base by a sub-scarious attenuate markedly lineate bract up to 6 cm long. 15 mm broad at base, and bearing small soft marginal teeth in upper portion. Racemes capitate, corymbose, the terminal ones 6 cm long, 7 cm broad, terminal racemes of primary branches a little smaller, with the racemes of branchlets much smaller and mostly about 15-flowered, 3-4 cm long, 5-6 cm broad. Brads: Lowest of terminal racemes 8 mm long, deltoid-acuminate thin scarious white, with about 3 dark brownish nerves congested in median line. Pedicels: Lowest of terminal racemes 20 mm long, 23-25 mm in the fruit, shorter in lateral racemes. Perianth 27 mm long, nearest dull scarlet-red (R.C.S. I) at base, paler at mouth, with a sub-globose basal swelling 5.5 mm diam., constricted above the ovary to 3.5 mm, thence decurved and enlarging to 6 mm, in vertical cross-section at mouth, distinctly compressed laterally, the mouth wide open; outer segments free for 7 mm, with paler margins and sub-acute spreading apices; inner segments cohering dorsally to the outer for 20 mm, broader than the outer and with broader pale marginal border and more obtuse more spreading apices. Filaments flattened, the 3 inner narrower and lengthening in advance of the 3 outer. Anthers and Stigma scarcely 1 mm exserted.
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Plants stemless, 200-300 mm tall excluding inflorescence, often suckering to form small clumps. Leaves 20-25, 250-500 x 60-100 mm, green, greyish or brownish, lineate, with many H-shaped spots irregularly scattered. Inflorescence with 40-80 ultimate branches, 1.0-1.5 m tall; racemes capitate; bracts deltoid-acuminate, 8-12 x 2.5-4.0 mm, 3-5-nerved. Flowers 15-27 mm long, dull scarlet-red with paler longitudinal stripes, subclavate to clavate above basal constriction; outer segments free for ±7 mm, inner segments adnate to outer; pedicels 15-20 mm long, lengthening to ±25 mm in fruit. Anthers not or hardly exserted. Ovary ±3 x 2 mm; style not or hardly exserted. Fruit ±16 x 8 mm, pale grey.
Acaulescent, succulent herb, up to 300 mm tall. Leaves with spots in transverse bands. Inflorescence with over 20 racemes, these less than 80 mm in diameter. Perianth inflated around ovary. Flowers dull scarlet-red.
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