a tall handsome plant 3–5 ft. or more high; stem stout, more or less grooved, glabrous or puberulous; leaves 2–3 in. long, 1–1 1/2 in. broad, elliptic-lanceolate, tapering to both ends, obsoletely punctulate, often mucronulate; nerves prominent below; petioles reaching 2 1/2 in. long; flowers numerous; panicles much-branched; spikes erect or spreading, cylindric, gold-coloured or red, the central spikes the longest; bracteoles 2 1/4 lin. long, exceeding the sepals, narrowly ovate, hyaline, with a strong midrib produced into a long hard point; perianth 1 1/4 lin. long; sepals 5, oblong-lanceolate, scarious, midrib produced into a long acicular point; stamens 5; capsules 1–1 1/4 lin. long, ovoid, narrowed to the tip, circumscissile about the middle; stigmas 3, recurved, 1 1/4 lin. long; seeds 1/2– 3/4 lin. in diam., lenticular, white, red or black. null
