a shrub, 4–5 ft. high; branches glabrous, rarely with some long hairs when young; leaves elliptic, obtuse, slightly narrowed to and often subcordate at the base, 3 1/2–5 in. long, 1 1/2–2 in. broad, coriaceous, glaucous, with often red cartilaginous margins, prominently veined above and beneath, glabrous or ciliate with long loose soft hairs when young; heads sessile, 4 1/2 in. long, 4–6 in. in diam.; involucral bracts 8-seriate, more or less silky-pubescent, outer ovate-oblong, obtuse, with glabrous or ciliate margins, inner oblong, widened at the apex, more or less red or rose-purple with a white beard 4–5 lin. long, exceeding the flowers; perianth-sheath very slender, membranous, 2 in. long, gradually expanded and faintly 7-nerved and 3-keeled below, rufously hirsute with the exception of the glabrous base; lip 9 lin. long, upwards more or less hirsute and ciliate with long pale hairs, 3-awned, awns glabrous or nearly so, the lateral 3 lin. long, linear, obtuse, the median 1 1/2 lin. long; stamens all fertile; anthers linear, 3 lin. long; filaments 1/2 lin. long, flattened; apical glands oblong-lanceolate, 1/2 lin. long; ovary obovoid, covered with long reddish-brown hairs; style tapering upwards, 2 in. long, laterally flattened, jointed on the ovary, but not disarticulating, glabrous; stigma 3 lin. long, linear, passing abruptly into the style. null
