Tree up to 10 m in height.  Leaves petiolate, coriaceous, oblong-elliptic to round-elliptic; tip round; base acute or obtuse; flowers in terminal panicles; petals purplish, linear-lanceolate; fruit (nut) reniform, gray, on large, thick hypocarp, somewhat spongy, red or yellow, juicy.

Acaulescent or short-stemmed stoloniferous plant. Leaves lanceolate, 30-60 cm in length, long-acuminate, spiny-serrate. Inflorescence on scape of up to 1.2 m long, with sharp lanceolate or ovate bracts; yellow flowers, 2.5 cm long, in dense 10-30 cm long racemes. Dehiscent capsules (fruit), with black seeds.

Herbaceous plant with bulbs divided into cloves which are enveloped in a whitish skin.  Scape about 50 cm long.  Leaves smooth, 2 to 3 cm wide.  Umbel dense;flowers pink; ovary oblong-ovoid.