Plants solitary, never suckering and forming groups, mostly acaulescent, rarely with a short stem. Leaves 16-24, densely rosulate, sub-erectly spreading, long lanceolate-attenuate, 30-40 cm long, with an additional 5-10 cm of dried twisted apex, 6-8 cm broad at base; upper surface fiat to slightly canaliculate in upper half, sometimes dark green but mostly dark greenish-grey to bluish-grey, with longitudinally elongated pale green 'H' shaped spots mostly arranged in irregular interrupted undulating transverse bands; lower surface convex, grey-green, without spots, with longitudinal veins more obscurely defined low down more prominent upwards, especially near the margins; margins sinuate-dentate with corneous edge, armed with pale brown pungent teeth about 5 mm long, 10 mm distant, the interspaces rounded. Leaf sap dries purple-violet. Inflorescence 1-1.5 met. high, usually branched below the middle, a compound panicle with a total of 15-30 racemes, the lowest branches with 2-5 branchlets. Peduncle stout near base, the lowest branches subtended at base by large lanceolate-deltoid scarious whitish bracts up to 10 cm, long. Racemes cylindric-acuminate, sub-densely many-flowered, 20-30 cm, long, the buds somewhat greenish, the open flowers orange-red in lower half, golden-yellow upwards. Brads from a broad base narrowly lanceolate-deltoid acuminate, scarious, grey, brown-nerved, recurved to coiled above the middle, varying from as long as, to 3 times the length of the lowest pedicels. Pedicels average 10 mm long. Perianth 30-38 mm, long, 33 mm the average, with a basal swelling 7-9 mm diam., constricted above the ovary to 5 mm, thence decurved and enlarging towards the throat: outer segments free for 9 mm, obscurely 3-5-nerved, the nerves confluent at apex, the apices sub-acute slightly spreading, the free portion usually with a white marginal border; inner segments dorsally adnate to the outer for their greater length, broader than the outer and with broader white marginal border and more obtuse more spreading apices, usually with 3 congested nerves forming a slight keel. Filaments filiform-flattened, the 3 inner narrower and lengthening in advance of the 3 outer, with their anthers in turn exserted 1-2 mm Stigma at length exserted 2 mm and remaining exserted after the filaments contract and the perianth commences to dry out. Ovary green, 6 mm long, 3 mm diam., finely 6-grooved. Capsule about 26 mm long, 13 mm diam., for some time enwrapped with the dry remains of the perianth.
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Plants solitary, 250-400 mm tall excluding inflorescence, usually stemless. Leaves 16-24, suberect, 300-400 x 40-80 mm, upper surface flat to slightly channelled, dark green with many pale green spots in irregular transverse bands, lower surface convex, paler green, unspotted. Inflorescence with 15-40 ultimate branches, 1.0-1.5 m tall; racemes cylindric, lax, longer than 190 mm; bracts deltoid-acuminate, 10-15 x 2-4 mm, many-nerved. Flowers yellow to red, 21-38 mm long, subclavate above basal constriction; outer segments free for 5-9 mm, inner segments mostly adnate to outer; pedicels 8-12 mm long. Anthers exserted up to 2 mm. Ovary 5-6 x 2-3 mm, green; style exserted up to 2 mm. Fruit 17-26 x 8-13 mm, pale brownish grey.
Acaulescent, succulent herb up to 400 mm tall, excluding inflorescence. Leaves spotted on upper surface, 16-24, suberect, 300-400 x 40-80 mm. Racemes over 190 mm long, lax, elongate-conical. Flowers yellow to red.
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