Up to 2m high with upright leaves (50-100mm long, 5-18mm wide). Flowerheads (100-160mm long, 80mm wide) have pointed, sticky, cream to pinkish-red bracts, forming cone-shaped seedheads that remain on the plant for several years. The copious nectar produced by the flowers is loved by baboons and birds and was widely used for sugar and syrup (bossiestroop) production by early settlers.