Plant acaulescent, flowering 50-95 cm long, with a 20-35 cm tall flexuous-tubular or narrowly funnelform rosette, of 10-20, often twisting and transversely white-banded, leaves, sometimes with offset on the scape of the inflorescence. Leaves stiff-coriaceous, 20-40 cm long, normally shorter than the scape, the outer ones reduced and bladeless, densely appressed-lepidote, usually with transverse bands of extended spreading scales outside; sheaths large, but not very distinct, evenly merging into the blades, ovate, inflated, 5-9 x 2.5-5 cm, often deep purple at the (membranaceous) margins; blades arching and often twisting in one direction, very narrowly triangular, becoming involute toward the apex when dry, 20-30 x 1.8-3.5 cm, attenuate, then (abruptly) pungent. Inflorescence simple or laxly bipinnate of 2-6 distichously arranged branches, 45-88 cm long; scape erect, 23-50 cm long, 2-4 mm in diam., almost entirely glabrous, dark green, for most part covered by bracts; scape bracts erect, chartaceous, elliptic, the lower ones imbricate and with foliaceous blades, the upper ones more apiculate or subacute and somewhat shorter than the internodes, densely appressed-lepidote; axis elongate, wholly exposed, flexuous, at least toward the apex, sharply angled (when dry), for most part glabrous or sparsely lepidote; primary bracts like the upper scape bracts, clasping the branches, much shorter than the peduncle; peduncle 6-10 cm long, sparsely lepidote at one side, with one or two remote bracts; racemes spreading, often ascending, elongated, 8-25 cm long, very laxly and distichously 3-10-flowered, with one sterile bract at the apex; rachis entirely visible, slender, flexuous, sharply angled, subglabrous; floral bracts spreading, clasping the flower, chartaceous, with prominently veined surface (when dry), elliptic, 2-3 cm long, about equaling the internodes, much exceeded by the sepals, membranaceous at the margins, broadly acute or rounded and obscurely apiculate, ecarinate, appressed-lepidote. Flowers spreading, distinctly pedicellate (to 1 cm long); sepals subchartaceous, with prominently veined surface when dry, narrowly elliptic, 2-3 cm long, obtuse, free, ecarinate, sparsely lepidote or glabrous; petals erect, divergent or coiled at the apex, to 4 cm long, acute, purple-rose (or white?); stamens exserted, unequal, exceeded by the pistil (at least the 3 shorter ones), filaments straight, flat, except at the apex, anthers dorsifixed (at 2/5), ca. 3 mm long; ovary ovoid, ca. 5 mm long, style slender, stigmas linear (bristle-like). Capsule slenderly cylindric, to 7 cm long, 2-3 times as long as the floral bracts, evenly tapering toward the apex, then abruptly short-beaked.
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Plants single or in small clusters, flowering to 1 m. Stems short. Leaves 10--20, many-ranked, spreading to recurved, spirally twisted, gray or reddish, banded silver, to 40 ´ 1--2.5 cm, appressed-grayish-scaly; sheath dark chestnut brown, broadly elliptic to ovate, not inflated, not forming pseudobulb, 2--3 cm wide; blade narrowly triangular, leathery, channeled to involute, apex attenuate. Inflorescences: scape conspicuous, erect, 15--40 cm, 3--5 mm diam.; bracts laxly imbricate, erect to spreading, distal widely spaced, like leaves but gradually smaller; sheath of bracts narrowing abruptly into blade; spikes very laxly 2--6-flowered, erect to spreading, simple or 2-pinnate, linear in outline, 12--40 ´ 3--4.5 cm, apex acute; lateral branches 2--8. Floral bracts widely spaced, spreading with flowers, gray or reddish, exposing most of rachis at anthesis, elliptic, not keeled, 2.3--3.1 cm, thin-leathery, base not visible at anthesis, apex acute, surfaces glabrous to slightly scaly. Flowers 5--40, conspicuous; sepals free, elliptic, not keeled, 2--3 cm, leathery to thin-leathery, veined, apex obtuse, surfaces glabrous; corolla tubular, petals erect, apex spreading, pink to dark rose, ligulate, to 4 cm; stamens exserted; stigma exserted, conduplicate-spiral. Fruits to 7.5 cm.
Plant 2-15 dm. high. Leaves 10-20 in a dense often subbulbous rosette, 2-5 dm. long, densely pale-appressed-lepidote, usually marked with broad white trans-verse bands, the outer bladeless, squamiform; sheaths ovate, very large but merging with the blade; blades narrowly triangular, about 25 mm. wide, acuminate, then abruptly acute, curved, stiff. Scape erect, slender, glabrous. Scape-bracts erect, tubular-involute, elliptic, lepidote, at least the upper ones shorter than the internodes. Inflorescence simple or very laxly bipinnate. Primary bracts like the upper scape-bracts, much shorter than the sterile bases of the axillary branches. Branches ascending, to 4 dm. long, very lax. Rhachis slender, flexuous, angled, glabrous. Floral bracts elliptic, acute, 2-3 cm. long, equaling or shorter than the sepals, ecarinate, chartaceous, nerved, lepidote. Flowers spreading. Pedicels to 7 mm. long. Sepals narrowly elliptic, obtuse, 2-3 cm. long, free, sparsely lepidote or glabrous. Petals tubular-erect, to 4 cm. long, white, rose or purple. Stamens exserted. Capsule slenderly cylindric, to 7 cm. long.
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