Cochliostema is a member of the subtribe Dichorisandrinae of the tribe Tradescantieae of the flowering plant family Commelinaceae.

All three genera share the possession of flower petals fringed with moniliform trichomes.

Rosette, typically unbranched herbs with somewhat succulent, strap-shaped leaves.

One species, Cochliostema odoratissimum, is a tank-epiphyte, resembling certain bromeliads in this respect.

Flowers are borne in large thyrses and are generally the largest (ca.