Plant tufted. Leaves c. 30-60 × 3-4 cm; sheath thickly covered with shining white scales; young lamina light bluish green, with white scales standing erect from the adaxial surface and ± appressed on the abaxial surface; older lamina yellow-green, dying reddish brown, glabrous on both surfaces, keeled, margins revolute, nerves very numerous, fine, equal. Peduncle c. 10—15 × 1-1.5 cm, panicle of about same length, and narrow; racemes c. 5-7, all simple, c. 4 × 1.5 cm, cylindric, closely appressed to axis. Flowers greenish, closely packed, perianth-lobes strongly recurved, ♂ slightly larger and looser than ♀; fruit orange.

Subgenus Tricella—Planta robusta, foliorum fasciculis singularibus manifestos; folia carinata, marginibus plus minusve revolutis, viridia, supra squamis erectis pruinae similibus mox caducis praedita, subtus squamis horridis inter nervos plurimos aequales obtecta; squamae abaxillares deciduae lanam exiguam secum abstrahentes, itaque folia matura glabra, durissima, Phormii parvi simillima, vagina autem longissime squamosa; inflorescentia squamosissima inter folia plus minusve abscondita; panicula angusta, racemi pauci simplices cylindrati fere erecti, floribus numerosis, femineis praecipue confertis; perianthium pallide viride, lobi valde recurvati, exteriores 7-, interiores 5-venosi; fiuctus aurosus.

Colonies consisting of stout tufts, resembling small Phormium plants in habit and texture. Stem 1.5–2.5 cm. diam. Lvs 35–150 × 2.5–4 cm., firm and coriac., only slightly constricted above sheath, keeled, and ± revolute on margins; sheath to 8 cm. wide at base, thickly covered on both surfaces with long silvery scales; lamina long-acuminate, adaxially light bluish green turning reddish brown in old age, glab. when old but in youth ± covered with erect, easily detached scales; abaxial surface at first white with slightly shaggy scales, later green and glab., finely ribbed with subequal nerves, 25–30 on each side of midrib. Infl. elongate, thickly covered with spreading, white, caducous scales; spathes long; racemes 5–10, simple, cylindric and standing ± erect, the neatly arranged fls almost hiding the axes; female racemes c. 4 × 1.5 cm., male longer. Fls greenish fawn; tepals c. 4–5 × 3–4 mm., strongly recurved in both sexes. Ovary 3-locular, broad. Fr. globose or broadest above middle, 10–14 × 5.5–8 mm., yellow to orange, seated in deep cup formed by partly thickened per.