Plants acaulescent, rarely solitary, usually in small groups of up to 6 rosettes, the rosettes 15-25 cm diam. Leaves 30-40, densely rosulate, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, up to 15 cm long, 4-5 cm broad, glaucous, lineate; upper surface flat low down, very slightly canaliculate upwards, usually without tubercles and spines, sometimes with a few scattered reddish-brown spines springing from a whitish tuberculate base; lower surface convex, glaucous, lineate, usually with a few scattered brownish spines springing from white tubercles, sometimes with a keel in median line in upper half, the keel armed with a few brown teeth 2-3 mm long; margins armed with pungent deltoid reddish-brown teeth about 5 mm long, 10 mm distant, the teeth white at base, the interspaces the colour of the leaf. Note: Leaf sap dried deep orange. Inflorescence simple, 1-4 from a rosette, up to 60 cm high. Peduncle 20-25 mm diam., almost entirely covered with imbricate sterile bracts which are ovate narrowly attenuate up to 60 mm long, 25 mm broad at base, sub-amplexicaul, very thin, sub-scarious, white, about 20-nerved. Racemes unicoloured, about 20 cm long, 10 cm diam., the youngest buds densely congested and hidden by their longer bracts, older buds horizontally disposed with the open flowers cernuous. The flowers rose-red (not luteo-rubri as described). Pedicels 25-30 mm long, lengthening to 40 mm in the fruit. Bracts always longer than their pedicels, broadly ovate below, narrowly acuminate in upper half, up to 40 mm long, 15-18 mm diam., thin, white, many-nerved, the nerves often greenish low down becoming rose coloured upwards. Perianth 35-40 mm long, rose-red, not basally stipitate, cylindric, slightly ventricose, somewhat roundly trigonous and 3-grooved; outer segments free to base, 3-5-nerved, the nerves obscure for their greater length, greenish at apex, the apices sub-acute spreading; inner segments free, not cohering to the outer, broader than the outer, with more obtuse apices, and with a keel composed of 3 crowded nerves rose-red for its greater length, turning green at apex. Filaments palest rose, flattened, the 3 inner narrower and lengthening in advance of the 3 outer. Anthers scarcely exserted. Stigma at length exserted 1-2 mm. Ovary green, 8 mm long, 2-5 mm diam., finely 6-grooved, Capsule 30 mm long, 10 mm diam., roundly trigonous.
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Plants stemless, 150-250 mm tall excluding inflorescence; usually in clumps. Leaves 30-40 per rosette, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 100-170(-300) x 40-60 mm, upper surface flat to slightly channelled, sometimes with few prickles, lower surface convex with few prickles, sometimes obscurely keeled. Inflorescence a simple raceme; peduncle 400-600 mm long; bracts 35-65 x 8-18 mm, many-nerved. Flowers rose-red, cylindric-trigonous, 30-40 mm long; pedicels 25-40 mm long, lengthening to 50 mm in fruit. Anthers not or hardly exserted. Ovary 5.0-8.0 x 1.0-2.5 mm, green; style exserted 1-3 mm. Fruit 24-37 x 7-11 mm, grey. Seeds black, 4.5-5.0 x 3.0-4.0 x 0.5-1.0 mm, with a narrow wing.
Succulent, perennial herb; acaulescent, rosettes rarely solitary, usually in small groups, 150-250 mm diam. Leaves glaucous, lineate, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, up to 150 mm long, surfaces with few, scattered, brownish spines from white tuberculate bases, keel armed with few brown spines, margins with pungent, deltoid, reddish brown teeth. Inflorescence 1-4, simple, up to 0.6 m high, erect, with cylindric, dense racemes. Flowers rose-red, 35-40 mm long, completely hidden by bracts in bud; stamens and stigma slightly exserted. Flowering time June-Oct.
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