2n = 44

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.