Plants flowering to 4 dm high. Leaves many, rosulate, spreading, 30--40 cm; sheath pale or darkened toward base, ovate; blade ligulate, acute. Inflorescences: scape central, erect, shorter than leaves; bracts imbricate, erect; inflorescences densely many-flowered, erect, simple, cylindric, to 15 cm; floral bracts imbricate, most proximal bracts (fertile) pale green, striped dark green or reddish, distal bracts (mostly sterile) rose, salmon or nearly white [red or orange in tropical America], ovate, to 2.5 cm, acute. Flowers: sepals basally connate, green, symmetric, 1.4--1.6 cm; petals very slightly spreading, adherent for most of length, white, without petal appendages, 2.2--2.5 cm, apex obtuse; stamens included, filaments subadnate to petals; stigma included, simple-erect. Fruits 2--3 cm.

Florida plants of this taxon appear to be self fertilizing.