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Perennial herb, usually solitary, rarely suckering to form small groups of plants, acaulescent, or older plants with a stem. Stem when present up to c. 1 m high and up to 12 cm in diameter, covered with persistent light brown withered leaves. Leaves in a compact rosette up to c. 1 m in diameter, erect-spreading; lamina to 60 cm long, 12 cm wide at the base, lanceolate, thinly fleshy, uniformly light bluish-green, tinged pinkish in dry conditions, unspotted except in young plants, obscurely lineate; margin cartilaginous, with pungent brown-tipped deltoid teeth 2–5 mm long and 10–15 mm apart. Inflorescence erect, 1–2 m tall above the leaf rosette; peduncle 6–10-branched, the lower branches rebranching; branches erect, subtended by lanceolate scarious bracts to c. 2 cm long. Racemes 15–30 × 6 cm, cylindrical, ± densely flowered; bracts 8–18 × 3–4 mm, lanceolate-attenuate, pale brown with darker often purplish veining; pedicels 8–20 mm long. Perianth bright coral-pink with a bloom, a little paler at the mouth, 35–45 mm long, 8–10 mm in diameter across the ovary, cylindric-trigonous; outer segments free for ± one-third with slightly recurved tips. Stamens and stigma exserted c. 4 mm. Capsule 19–21 × 11 mm, ovoid, yellowish-buff. Seeds c. 5 × 9 mm, blackish-brown, speckled, with buff wings.