Plants always solitary, never suckering or in groups; acaulescsnt, or sometimes with a short stem. Leaves about 25-30, densely rosulate, broadly lanceolate, up to 30 cm long (plus 10 cm of dried apex), 10-14 cm broad at base; upper surface rather flat low down, slightly canaliculate upwards, dull grey-green near base rather reddish-green upwards, unspotted, very indistinctly lineate; lower surface convex, paler than the upper surface; margins sinuous, armed with reddish-brown corneous pungent deltoid teeth 3-4 mm long, 8-12 mm distant, the teeth paler, softer and more crowded near base. Inflorescence simple (rarely branched) up to 1 met. high, sometimes 2 from a rosette. Peduncle sterile-bracteate below the racemes, the sterile bracts ovate-obtuse, thin, scarious, pale brownish, many-nerved and up to 20 mm long, 12-15 mm broad. Racemes cylindric-acuminate, 40-50 cm long, laxly flowered, the buds completely hidden by their large fleshy densely imbricate bracts, the open flowers cernuous to sub-pendulous. Pedicels the lowest 20 mm long (lengthening to 30 mm in the fruit stage) shorter upwards, recurved at apex. Bracts broadly lanceolate-ovate, somewhat thick and fleshy, the lowest about as long as their pedicels (20 mm) 15 mm broad, eventually turning purplish. Perianth up to 55 mm long, cylindric-trigonous, slightly enlarged in lower third, narrowing a little to the mouth, dull rose-red to scarlet-red with a pale bluish-grey bloom, basally slightly stipitate; outer segments free for 20 mm, obscurely about 10-nerved, with the apices sub-acute, straight to slightly spreading; inner segments free, but dorsally adnate to the outer for about two-thirds their length, broader than the outer and about 2 mm longer, with white marginal border and a keel turning greenish 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 not or very slightly exserted. Stigma at length exserted 1-2 mm. Ovary 10-12 mm long, 3-3-5 mm diam., slightly tapering at apex into the style, finely 6-grooved, green.
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Plants stemless or short-stemmed, 250-500 mm tall excluding inflorescence. Leaves rosulate, 300-400 x 100-140 mm, bluish grey to purplish grey. Inflorescence a simple raceme, 0.8-1.0 m tall, 2-4 per plant; bracts ovate, 15-25 x 6-11 mm, many-nerved. Flowers brilliant pink, 40-55 mm long; outer segments connate for at least half their length, inner segments free but adnate to outer for ± two thirds of their length; pedicels 15-25 mm long, lengthening in fruit. Anthers not or hardly exserted. Ovary 9.0-12.0 x 2.0-3.5 mm; style exserted 1-2 mm. Fruit ±20-25 x 10 mm.
Acaulescent or shortly caulescent, succulent herb, up to 500 mm tall. Leaves rosulate, tuberculate at least in seedling stage. Racemes over 0.3 m long. Outer perianth segments connate for at least half their length. Flowers brilliant pink.
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