Perennial herb, solitary, or suckering to form small groups of plants, acaulescent. Leaves in a compact rosette, spreading; lamina 35–75 cm long or more, 7–10 cm wide toward the base, lanceolate-attenuate, often with a withered apical portion, fleshy, darkish green, with oblong whitish spots on the upper surface, distinctly lineate and lightly spotted to unspotted on the lower surface; margin with pungent reddish-brown teeth 3–4 mm long and 10–25 mm apart. Inflorescence erect, to 1–2 m high, occasionally more; peduncle usually up to 12-branched with the lowest branches often rebranching; branches curving upwards, subtended by scarious bracts to 4 cm long, with the upper racemes more or less on a level with the terminal one, and usually with 1–2 sterile bracts below each raceme. Racemes 3–6 × 6–9 cm, capitate, densely flowered, but often with 1–3 pedicels arising separately 1–3 cm below the compact head; bracts 8–20 × 3 mm, lanceolate-acuminate; pedicels 20–35 mm long, elongating to 30–40 mm in fruit. Perianth orange-red to pinkish-red, 25–35 mm long, c. 8 mm in diameter across the ovary, constricted just above then gradually widening and slightly curved, cylindric-trigonous; outer segments free for c. one-third with tips scarcely spreading. Stamens and stigma slightly exserted. Capsule c. 24 × 12 mm, oblong-ovoid, dark yellowish-grey. Seeds c. 3 × 4.5 mm, black, with buff, speckled wings.
