The most striking feature of this plant is the amazing leaf formation.
The leaf rosette is formed of 5 spiralling ranks of 15-30 leaves. The leaves are a grey-green in colour with purplish brown tips that become very sharp and irregular toothed margins.
They do not begin to spiral until they are between 20-30cm in diameter.
Each spring they produce branched flower spikes, with flowers of pale red to orange-pink.  (attension plants do not spiral when young it may take few years to spiral)