Slow-growing, long-lived, dense, erect shrubs, with up to 25 heads, and a tufted growth habit, and stems up to 1.5 m high. Roots slightly fleshy. Branches with dry leaves and leaf bases that are persistent, forming a dry, leafy skirt. Leaves fleshy, coriaceous, in an apical rosette, linear-lanceolate, 600–700 mm in diameter, ascending spreading during the rainy season, incurved and with a reddish colour during the dry season or prolonged droughts, 300–400 × 50–80 mm, glossy, grass-green, both surfaces distinctly striate (striations translucent, 3–4 mm apart); upper surface rounded at base, flat in the middle part and becoming slightly channelled towards the end. Lower surface rounded bearing a distinct keel in upper half or third. The leaf margin and keel leathery, reddish brown, teeth 6–7 × 5 mm, dark brown and 10–20 mm apart, the leaf end sharp and ending in 1–3 prickles. The leaf sap drying translucent to faintly orange-yellow. Leaves in juvenile plants opposite (distichous) at first, the surface distinctly greyish green, and the lower surface with few prickles towards the leaf end, becoming smooth at maturity.

Inflorescence ascending, simple, up to 800–1 010 mm long (1–5 per rosette), the raceme cylindric acuminate, 450–510 mm long, the slender ends often bending to the north. The floral bracts are densely arranged (imbricate), triangular-lanceolate, each ending in a narrow drawn-out point (the young inflorescence densely covered with a coma of overlapping bracts). Flowers subpendent (buds ascending-spreading); pedicels ascending, recurved at the apex in open flowers, yellow, 20–22 mm long. Perianth yellow, buds green-tipped, and cylindric-three-angled, 45 mm long, 8–10 mm in diameter, the base slightly swollen and narrowing to 5–6 mm wide at apex. Stamens with filaments filiform, flattened, 33–43 mm long, 3 inner ones slightly longer, slightly exerted; anthers 3.5–6.0 mm long; pollen yellowish orange. Ovary cylindrical, 8.0–10.0 × 3.5 mm, green; style 30 mm long, lengthening to 35 mm and becoming slightly exerted. Fruit a capsule, 18–22 × 7–8 mm, ascending-spreading, young fruit ovoid. Seed 3.5 × 2.0 mm, blackish grey.

Plants flower in spring (August–October, in the southern hemisphere).