Plants solitary, large, tall arborescent, up to 3-4 met. high, branched near base or higher, sometimes rebranched and producing 10-20 crowns. Stem stout, branched low down or higher up, sometimes with a trunk branched about the middle and rebranched, up to 2-3 met. from base to the base of rosettes. Leaves many in a dense rosette, up to 1 met. long, 10 cm broad, gradually tapering to the apex; upper surface glaucous, without lines or spots, rather deeply channelled especially towards apex; tower surface glaucous, convex; margins with a thin pale brownish-red edge armed with small pale brownish-red teeth about 1.5 mm long, 8-10 mm distant, the teeth hooked forward towards apex of leaf. Inflorescence always simple, up to 5 from a rosette, 1.5-2 met. in length, usually produced somewhat obliquely and sometimes with a twist. Peduncle averaging 60 cm below the raceme, (sometimes up to 1 met.), brown, somewhat sulcate, flattened low down, terete upwards, clothed with numerous very thin scarious pale brown sterile bracts, the lowest ovate-acute, 15 mm long, 10 mm broad, 3-5-nerved. Racemes densely multiflowered, narrowly cylindric, slightly acuminate, up to 1 met. long (70-80 cm the average), rarely erect, usually at an angle with the apical portion upturned; the flowers with a copious supply of dark nectar which is sweet to the taste and very viscid. Bracts lowest ovate-acute, thin scarious brown, averaging 12 mm long, 8 mm wide, 3-5-nerved. Pedicels 3 mm long. Perianth reddish-brown (chestnut), cylindric-campanulate, 18 mm long, 6 mm diam. near base, about 15 mm across tips of segments; outer segments free or almost so, 3-nerved in median line, the apices sub-acute, straight to slightly spreading; inner segments free, much broader than the outer (8 mm, broad at middle), thin pale yellowish, with 3 congested nerves forming a keel which is pale brown or slightly reddish near base becoming deep brown at apex, the apices more obtuse and slightly spreading. Filaments much flattened, the 3 inner narrower (1.5 mm) and lengthening in advance of the 3 outer (2 mm, broad). Anthers the 3 inner and 3 outer in turn exserted 12-15 mm Stigma at length exserted 15 mm. Ovary deep orange, 7 mm long, 3 mm diam.
More
Trees 2-4 m tall; stems branched. Leaves many per rosette, ascending to spreading, 500-1000 x 50-100 mm, channelled, glaucous. Inflorescence simple, 1-5 per rosette, 1.5-2.0 m tall; bracts 8-14 x 5-8 mm, 3-5-nerved. Flowers chestnut-brown, 15-18 mm long; pedicels up to 3 mm long. Anthers exserted 4-15 mm. Ovary 4-7 x 2-3 mm, deep orange; style exserted 6-15 mm. Fruit 11-15 x 7-8 mm, olive-brown. Seeds ±4.0 x 1.75 x 1.25 mm, ochre.
Arborescent, succulent, up to 4 m high. Inflorescence simple, 1.5-2.0 m high. Racemes cylindrical, over 500 mm long. Perianth over 12 mm long. Flowers pedicellate, chestnut-brown.
Home
