Stemless or slightly caulescent and branching, about 5 dm. high. Leaves 20 to 30, suberect to spreading, 6 dm. long; sheaths indistinct, obscure-ly brown-lepidote, flavous with dark red stripes; blades ligulate, acuminate, 27 mm. long, thin, glabrous at maturity, wholly purple-red or green near apex, with red-brown stripes dorsally or on both sides. Scape erect, glabrous, red. Scape-bracts densely imbricate, narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, glabrous, bright scarlet. Inflorescence densely bipinnate, pyramidal or short-thyrsoid, up to 25 cm. long and 10 cm. thick, glabrous, bright yellow throughout. Primary bracts broadly ovate with acuminate lamina, the lower ones purple-tipped and exceeding the spikes. Spikes suberect to spreading, the lower distinctly stipitate, sub-capitate, 5-to 12-flowered. Floral bracts broadly elliptic or suborbicular, obtuse, carinate, 10 mm. long. Flowers subsessile. Sepals narrowly elliptic, obtuse, 18 mm. long, connate for 2.5 mm., carinate. Petals elliptic, obtuse, ca. 3 cm. long, connate for 7 mm. Capsule cylindric, 24 mm. long. Coma sub-ferrugineous.
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