Plants mostly 100-150 mm high. Stem velvety, usually unbranched, strongly deflexed. Leaves lanceolate, strongly pleated, stiffly erect, minutely velvety, inclined. Spike inclined, secund, 2-to 8-flowered; bracts green, rust-coloured at tips, velvety, 12-14 mm long, outer ± tricuspidate or trilobed apically, inner often slightly shorter than outer, divided to base. Flowers zygomorphic, inverted with perianth tube recurved, dorsal tepal horizontal, unilateral stamens curved back to lie above dorsal tepal and lower tepals suberect, dark blue to violet or purple, lower 3 tepals with black or red spear-shaped markings; perianth tube curved, narrowly funnel-shaped, 11-17 mm long; tepals subequal, cupped, 20-22 mm long, dorsal hardly different from others, up to 12 mm wide. Stamens unilateral; filaments arching over dorsal tepal, 8-10 mm long; anthers linear, facing spike apex, 4.5-6.0 mm long, blackish. Ovary densely hairy; style arching beneath stamens, dividing opposite anther apices, branches 4-5 mm long, with cuneate tips.
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Cormous geophyte, 10-20 cm. Leaves lanceolate, hairy. Flowers inverted with dorsal tepals and stamens facing spike apex, dark blue to violet, lower tepals with red or dark blue-black markings, inner bracts divided to base, ovary hairy.
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