Stems somewhat woody, 15-25 cm long, 3-4 cm diam., usually branched about the middle and forming dense tufts of 30 and more stems to a plant. Leaves 15-20, multifarious, narrowly linear, up to 37 cm long, the apical 5-10 cm dried and purplish (when not burnt by veld fires), 5-8 mm broad, the imbricate-amplexicaul basal portion dilating to 20-25 mm.; upper surface dull green, flat or slightly canaliculate, sometimes with a few scattered small white spots near base; lower surface convex, more copiously spotted near base; margins ciliate with minute white teeth, larger and more crowded low down, smaller and more distant upwards. Inflorescence simple, up to 45 cm high in robust specimens. Peduncle flattened, 14 mm diam. low down, terete upwards, with about 8 ovate-acuminate thin dry pale-brownish sterile bracts 15 mm long, 7 mm broad, 5-7-nerved. Racemes densely capitate 6 cm long, 7 cm diam., about 18-flowered. Bracts narrowly ovate-acuminate, thin, scarious, pale brownish, about half as long as their pedicels, 5-7-nerved. Pedicels lowest 15-20 mm, lengthening to 30 mm in the fruit, the reddish colour of the perianth. Perianth cylindric-trigonous slightly ventricose, 30-40 mm long, Jasper Red (RCS) or rose-pink greenish tipped, sometimes yellowish at mouth, basally shortly stipitate; outer segments free or lightly cohering to the middle, obscurely nerved, slightly greenish at their sub-acute rather straight apices; inner segments free, broader than the outer, with pale edges and more spreading more obtuse apices; and with a reddish keel turning greenish at apex. Filaments pale yellow, filiform-flattened, the 3 inner narrower and lengthening in advance of the 3 outer. Anthers exserted 2-3 mm Stigma at length exserted up to 5 mm. Ovary dull olive-green, 8 mm long, 2-5 mm diam., finely 6-grooved. Apparently this species flowers in June to September after grass fires, or from November to March if not subjected to burning, in which event leaves are longer and more fleshy.
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