Plants acaulescent, or with stem up to 30 cm long, hidden by old persistent leaves, solitary, or branching at ground level and forming groups of up to 15-20 heads. Leaves 15-20, densely rosulate, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 40-50 cm long, 15-20 cm broad at the middle, softly mucronate; upper surface flat near base, canaliculate upwards, glaucous-green with many continuous longitudinal darker lines, the lines usually alternately narrower and broader; lower surface convex, similar in colour and markings to the upper surface; margins without teeth, but with a sub-cartilaginous dull white border 2-3 mm broad, the edge straight to very slightly crenulate. Inflorescence 1-3 simultaneously or consecutively, 50-60 cm high, a many-branched pyramidal panicle, about 50 cm diam. with a total of about 50 racemes, the terminal raceme standing out higher than the others, the lowest branches almost horizontal, arcuate-sub-erect in upper half. Racemes the terminal the longest, about 6 cm long, about 15-flowered, those of branches shorter and fewer flowered; buds slightly congested, pink in lower half, somewhat greyish in upper half, striped with white and dull-green alternately; open flowers laxer, cernuous to sub-pendulous, pink to pale coral-red, broadly dull white striped in upper third, greenish tipped. Bracts 3-6 mm long, narrowly deltoid, paler at margins, clasping the pedicels at base. Pedicels lowest of terminal racemes 8-12 mm long. Perianth 25-27 min. long, with a basal swelling 7 mm diam., constricted above the ovary to 4 mm thence slightly decurved and enlarging towards the throat, laterally compressed and forming a somewhat trigonous mouth; outer segments free for 6 mm, with 3-5 obscure dark nerves turning green at apex, with pale marginal border, the apices sub-acute slightly spreading; inner segments themselves free but dorsally cohering to the outer for their greater length, broader than the outer and with broader white marginal border, with 3 congested dark nerves in median line turning green at apex, the apices more obtuse and more spreading than the outer. 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 1-2 mm, and remaining exserted after pollination. Ovary 6 mm long, 3 mm diam., finely 6-grooved, green.
More
Plants usually stemless. Leaf margins dull white, entire, sometimes crenulate. Inflorescence 500-600 mm tall; racemes lax, conical; bracts deltoid, 3.0-6.0 x 2.5-3.0 mm; pedicels 6-12 mm long. Flowers pink to pale coral-red; outer segments free for 5-6 mm. Anthers exserted 1-2 mm. Ovary 6.0-7.0 x 2.5-3.0 mm, green; style exserted 1-2 mm. Fruit ±18 x 13 mm.
Acaulescent or short-stemmed, up to 0.3 m tall. Leaves blue-green, flat, broad, distinctly boat-shaped, with distinct longitudinal lines, margins white, spineless. Flowers in branched, capitate, rounded panicles, nodding, with slight basal swellings, pinkish red.