Robust, evergreen, perennial herb with short rhizomes and fleshy roots; rhizomes up to 3 cm diam., internodes short, leaf bases fibrous. Leaves 40–120 × 5–11 cm, narrow-lanceolate to narrow-elliptic, glabrous, upright to spreading, fleshy, green, often with a glaucous bloom when young, apex acute, margins entire, base cuneate and grading into petiole; petiole up to 40 mm wide, channelled, usually white and fleshy; midrib raised on abaxial surface, usually prominent and white on adaxial surface. Inflorescence a panicle, up to 1.2 m long, exceeding leaves, spreading to upright; peduncle 5–15 mm diam., sturdy, upright; lateral branches 30–160 mm long, 2.0–3.5 mm diam., decreasing in size distally; lateral branches subtended by a leafy bract, bracts 14–100 × 4–30 mm, patent, recurved, or recoiled, decreasing in size distally, lower bracts usually sheathing the peduncle. Flowers solitary or in fascicles of 2–4 per node, each subtended by a bract. Flower bracts 6.5–7.8 × 4.0–5.9 mm, upright, slightly recurved, lavender-pink, sometimes with a green flush, becoming chartaceous in fruit; bifurcate, rarely with 1 or 3–4 lobes, lobes sometimes asymmetrical, apices acute to subacute, cleft 0.8–2.5 mm deep. Pedicel 18–22 mm long, 1.3 mm diam. at proximal end, 2.3 mm diam. at distal end; articulated, upper part tepal-like, white, often flushed lavender-pink; lower part pedicel-like, green, sometimes flushed lavender-pink. Tepals 6, in whorls of 3, free. Sepals 13–19 × 3.5–5.5 mm, lanceolate, white but often flushed lavender-pink on abaxial surface, apex 1.8 mm long, acute, acuminate or apiculate, margin entire. Petals 13–17 × 7– 10 mm, obovate to oval, white, apex obtuse to subacute, margin finely denticulate and sometimes undulate. Filaments 4.0–9.0 mm long, c. 0.5 mm diam., white. Staminal appendages 5.5–9.0 mm long; 3.5–5.0 mm adnate to filament, white, rarely pale lavender; free portion 2.0–4.0 mm long, yellow, curled; hairs 0.3–0.6 mm long, multicelled. Anthers 2.0–3.0 mm long, oblong, cream-yellow, sometimes flushed pale lavender, dehiscinglongitudinally. Ovary 4.0–5.0 × c. 2.5 mm, pale yellow-green; style 6–8 mm long, c. 0.5 mm diam., white; stigma c. 0.5 mm diam, papillae <0.2 mm long. Capsule (10–)12–15 × 7–10 mm, cylindrical, ovoid or obovoid, green and sometimes flushed red, style base persistent; dehiscent when mature; perianth persistent and becoming chartaceous, later deciduous. Seeds 1.3–2.5 mm diam., black, papillate, usually with two flattened lateral faces and the abaxial surface curved, sometimes angular; funicle comprising 5–8 elastic helical coils at capsule dehiscence.

Species nova Arthropodio cirrato foliis magis carnosis strictioribus glaucis, caudis antherarum albis vel pallide lavandulis, bracteis floralibus bifurcatis latioribus subrecurvis, capsulis majoribus distinguenda.

Robust, evergreen, perennial herb with short rhizomes and fleshy roots; rhizomes up to 3 cm diam., internodes short, leaf bases fibrous. Leaves 20–100 × 3–5 cm, narrow-lanceolate to narrow-elliptic, glabrous, spreading, fleshy, green, apex acute, margins entire, base cuneate and grading into petiole; petiole up to 20 mm wide, channelled, midrib raised on abaxial surface, usually green on adaxial surface. Inflorescence a panicle, up to 1.0 m long, exceeding leaves, spreading to upright; peduncle 5– 10 mm diam. at base; lateral branches 32–160 mm long, 1.0–3.0 mm diam., decreasing in size distally, spreading; peduncle lateral branches subtended by a leafy bract, bracts 10–130 × 3–25 mm, decreasing in size distally, lower bracts sheathing the peduncle, patent to recurved, upper bracts recurved to recoiled. Flowers solitary or in fascicles of 2–4 per node, each subtended by a bract. Flower bracts 6.2–7.8 × 2.0– 4.5 mm, recurved to recoiled, green to red-purple, becoming chartaceous in fruit; undivided, apex acute to subacute. Pedicel 20–24 mm long, 1.0 mm diam. at proximal end, 3.0 mm diam. at distal end; articulated, upper part tepal-like, white, often flushed redpurple, lower part pedicel-like, green, sometimes flushed red-purple. Tepals 6, in whorls of 3, free. Sepals 13–19 × 3.5–6.0 mm, lanceolate, white but often flushed red-purple on abaxial surface, apex 1.0 mm long, acute, acuminate or apiculate, margin entire. Petals 17–18 × 5–10 mm, obovate to oval, white, apex obtuse to subacute, margin finely denticulate and sometimes undulate. Filaments 4.0– 9.2 mm long, 0.4–0.5 mm diam., white. Staminal appendages 5.5–9.0 mm long; 3.5–5.0 mm adnate to filament, mauve or purple; free portion 2.0–3.6 mmlong, yellow, curled; hairs 0.3–0.7 mm long, multicelled. Anthers 2.0–3.3 mm long, oblong, cream-yellow, sometimes flushed pale maroon, dehiscing longitudinally. Ovary 4.0–5.0 × c. 2.0 mm, pale yellow-green; style 6.0–9.3 mm long, c. 0.3 mm diam., white; stigma c. 0.5 mm diam, papillae <0.2 mm long. Capsule (8–)12–14 × 5.5–9.5 mm, cylindrical, ovoid or obovoid, green and sometimes flushed red, style base persistent; dehiscent when mature; perianth persistent and becoming chartaceous, later deciduous. Seeds 1.3–2.5 mm diam., black, papillate, usually with two flattened lateral faces and the abaxial surface curved, sometimes angular; funicle comprising 5–8 elastic helical coils at capsule dehiscence.