Plant acaulescent, densely caespitose, or a caulescent basal rosette. Leaves 12-20 in a dense rosette, 15-30 × 5-12 cm, c. 5 mm thick, lanceolate, erect and spreading, ± recurved near apex, flat to ± canaliculate, dark green or purple-tinged, with glaucous frosting and numerous white oblong spots in irregular transverse bands, margins cartilaginous, sinuate-dentate with brown horny pungent teeth 3-5 mm long and c. 10 mm distant. Scapes simple or branched, 40-100 cm high, racemes 10-12 × 12-16 cm, densely capitate. Flowers yellow, salmon-pink, orange to red, erect, later drooping; pedicels 35-45 mm long, bracteate; segments 3.5-4.5 cm long, connate below with tube twice as long as spreading lobes. Capsule 2.5-4 cm long, globose-trigonous.