Plants 300-600 mm high. Corm bell-shaped, 13-20 mm diam.; tunics mid-to dark brown, ± leathery internally with veins sharply outlined, becoming ± fibrous, fibres coarse and wiry. Stem usually repeatedly branched, compressed and 2-winged below, 3-or 4-angled and winged above, wings sometimes slightly crisped or finely serrated. Foliage leaves narrowly lanceolate to linear, main vein prominent and a pair of lateral veins on either side evident, 5-7 mm wide, usually slightly exceeding inflorescence. Inflorescence a rounded, divaricately branched false panicle, ultimate branches 1(2)-flowered, axes sharply 3-angled; bracts green below, becoming dry and membranous at anthesis, later dry and light brown, apices often darker brown, 7-10(-12) mm long, inner slightly larger than outer. Flowers zygomorphic, ± white, often flushed or fading pale pink, tube pale pink to purple outside, lower 3 tepals each usually marked with red to brown streak in basal 1/2 and with dark mark at base, top of throat red on abaxial side, sweetly scented; perianth tube cylindric, slightly expanded in upper 5 mm, (25-)32-40 mm long, usually inclined; tepals subequal or dorsal slightly larger, ± spathulate, ± clawed (rarely with a tooth-like ridge in lower midline of lower tepals, margins undulate, dorsal ± upright to reflexed at right angles to tube, 9-12(-15) x 3-4 mm, lower 3 tepals held close together, forming lip. Stamens unilateral, straight; filaments exserted 3.5-5.0 mm, white; anthers 4.5-6.2 mm long, pale purple; pollen ± white. Style arching over stamens, dividing between middle and apex of anthers or exceeding them, branches spreading, ± 2 mm long, ± undivided or notched apically. Capsules obovoid to globose, 5-6 mm long. Seeds globose, ± 2 mm diam.
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A herb. It has a bulb or corm. These are bell shaped. They have a flat bottom. They have a coarse dark brown covering that easily peels off. They are deep in the soil. They can be 3 cm long by 2 cm wide. They can be 10 cm deep in the soil. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 60 cm high. The stems have angles or wings. The leaves are 5-7 mm wide. They are narrowly sword shaped. The flowers have a scent. The flowers are tube shaped and pale blue. They can be white or have red marks.
Geophyte, up to 0.6 m high. Usually repeatedly branched. Perianth tube long, usually up to 34 mm, cylindric. Tepals subspathulate. Inflorescence a pseudo-panicle, branching divaricate, with 1 or rarely 2 flowers. Perianth white or pale mauve with pink to red markings near base of lower tepals.
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