a bush 5–7 ft. high; branches minutely tomentellous or glabrescent; leaves 2 1/2–7 in. long, 3–5 lin. broad, narrow strap-shaped, obtuse, long attenuated at the base, distinctly pinnately veined above, glabrous; head sessile, 4–6 in. long, about 4 in. in diam.; involucral bracts 9–10-seriate, glabrous; outer ovate to oblong-ovate, obtuse, green, often with black tips; inner with a lanceolate limb, gradually passing into the claw, equalling the flowers or shorter; perianth-sheath 2 in. long, dilated and 3-keeled below, pubescent, becoming glabrous at the base; lip 2 1/4 in. long, villous at the base and on the sides, glabrous on the back, 3-awned; lateral awns 1 1/4 in. long, linear, long-villous, lower hairs whitish, upper dark purple to black; median awn 4 lin. long, filiform, black-ciliate at the apex; fertile stamens 3; filaments 1/2 lin. long, dilated; anthers linear, 3 1/2 lin. long; apical glands 2 lin. long, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, acute; barren anther linear, acute, eglandular, with a filiform filament; ovary 2 1/2 lin. long, obovate in outline, covered with long reddish-brown hairs; style 2 in. long, very slightly curved, terete, or somewhat compressed below, with a swelling (gland?) at the base on the ventral side, faintly grooved on the convex side, pubescent; stigma 2 1/2–3 lin. long, obtuse, conspicuously kneed and curved at the junction with the style. null
