Plants solitary, not suckering or in groups, mostly acaulescent, sometimes with a short stem up to 10 cm Leaves 16-20, densely rosulate, lanceolate-attenuate, rather arcuate-erect to slightly spreading, up to 30 cm long with an additional 5-10 cm of dry twisted apex, 6-8 cm broad at base; upper surface flat to slightly canaliculate, dull green to brownish-green, entirely immaculate, distinctly lineate with many deep green to brownish-green longitudinal lines; lower surface convex, greyish-green, paler than the upper, entirely immaculate, usually not lineate but sometimes very obscurely finely greenish lined; margins sinuate-dentate with horny brownish to reddish-brown edge, with pungent deltoid brownish to reddish-brown teeth 4-5 mm long, 10-15 mm distant, the interspaces rounded. Inflorescence a branched panicle up to 1 met. high, with 6-10 branches usually from below the middle, the 1-3 lowest sometimes with 1-2 branchlets, and subtended at base by dry sub-scarious bracts up to 10 cm long. Racemes densely flowered, sub-capitate, round topped, 10-12 cm long, 8-9 cm diam., the terminal the longest. Bracts of lowest pedicels 10-15 mm long, narrowly lanceolate-deltoid, thin, sub-scarious, many-nerved. Pedicels lowest of terminal racemes 12-15 mm long, with their bracts almost as long. Perianth coral-red, 30-33 mm long, with a sub-globose basal swelling 7 mm diam., constricted above the ovary to 4 mm, thence slightly decurved and enlarging towards the throat; outer segments free for 10 mm, very obscurely nerved, with pale marginal border, the apices sub-acute slightly spreading; inner segments dorsally adnate to the outer for their greater length, with broader whitish border and more obtuse more spreading apices. Filaments filiform-flattened, the 3 inner narrower and lengthening in advance of the 3 outer, with the anthers in turn exserted 1-2 mm Stigma at length exserted 2 mm. Ovary 7 mm long, 3 mm diam. finely 6-grooved, green. Note: Leaf sap dries purple.
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