Polycarpic plant to 1.5 m tall (in flower), initially upright, with trunk to 5 cm in diameter, pith to 2 cm in diameter; stem with densely packed leaf-rosettes of 30–40 leaves, with no internode elongation, cloaked with marcescent foliage.. Lateral branches produced near ground-level readily capable of adventitious rooting to support a ‘creeping’ horizontal growth-form.. Leaf lamina oblanceolate, to 56 cm long and 18 cm wide, basal portion wide, non-photosynthetic, and capable of secreting limited quantities of a mucilaginous fluid containing ice-nucleating polysaccharides, hair cushion present on upper leaf-base, which is also often coated with dried mucilage, lower surface with a dense, felty indumentum on the photosynthetic portion only.. Inflorescence narrowly conical to 110 cm tall, 20 cm in diameter; capitula pendulous.. Ray florets 12–16, to 25 mm long; disc florets 60–80.
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