Plants forming colonies of rosettes, shrubby, caulescent, to 5 m. Stems 1–8, simple or sparingly branched. Leaf blade erect, yel-lowish green, sword-shaped, broadest at middle, markedly concave, thick, 33–130 × 3–5 cm, rigid, glabrous, margins entire, filiferous with coarse fibers. Inflorescences erect, paniculate, dense, arising entirely within or scarcely beyond rosettes, obovoid or ellipsoid and flat distally, 3–6 dm; peduncle scapelike, to 4 dm. Flowers pendent; perianth globose; tepals spreading, distinct, white or cream, lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, 3–5(–7.5) × 1–1.8 cm; filaments 2–2.5 cm, papillose at base; anthers 3.2 mm; pistil 1.8 × 2.5 cm; ovary 1.7–2.7 × 0.7–1.2 cm, apex abruptly tapered; style 1–2 mm; stigmas distinct. Fruits pendent, baccate, indehiscent, elongate, cylindrical, 5–11.5 × 3–4 cm, fleshy, succulent. Seeds gray, 8–11 mm diam., 6–9 mm thick, rugose.
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A small tree. It grows 4.5 m high and spreads 2.4 m wide. It has a thick often branched trunk. The leaves are smooth and have thick edges which carry fine threads. The flower spike is 1.2 m high. The flowers are waxy cream.
Found in desert habitats in chaparral and creosote bush scrub; at elevations from sea level to 2,500 metres. Deserts and chaparral, rocky or gravelly mountain slopes; at elevations from 300-1,200 metres.
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It is a warm temperate to subtropical plant. It suits hardiness zones 8-10.
Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings. Seeds needs soaking.
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