Plants 120-200 mm high. Stem erect, simple or with short lateral branches, smooth or sparsely hairy in lines below bracts, sheathed below by cobwebby to woolly cataphylls. Leaves linear, pleated, as long as or shortly exceeding spike, 3-4 mm wide, loosely twisted above, sparsely short-or long-hairy on lightly undulate margins. Spike short, erect, 5-to 7-flowered; bracts smooth, green, dry and brown toward apices, 12-14 mm long, inner forked in upper 1/3, membranous in lower midline. Flowers zygomorphic, dull reddish purple to red-brown, greenish outside, lower lateral tepals yellow-green with purple tips, sweetly scented of freesia and vanilla; perianth tube funnel-shaped, 10-12 mm long; tepals unequal, clawed, dorsal initially arched, becoming erect, (18-)21-25 mm long, upper lateral tepals directed forward and arching slightly inward, lower tepals joined to upper laterals for ± 5 mm and to one another for ± 2.5 mm, lower laterals with conspicuous auriculate lobes at limb bases, 10-12 mm long. Stamens unilateral; filaments arched, 13-15 mm long; anthers 5-6 mm long, usually lilac; pollen creamy white. Ovary smooth; style dividing between middle and upper 1/3 of anthers, branches ± 2.5 mm long.
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Cormous geophyte, 120-200 mm tall. Leaves nearly linear, cobwebby at base, pleated, loosely twisted, margins undulate, sparsely hairy. Flowers 5-10 in a dense, suberect spike, bilabiate, mauve marked with violet and cream, rose-scented, perianth tube 10-12 mm long, dorsal tepal 18-25 mm long, ovary smooth, bracts smooth, inner forked in upper third. July-mid Sept.
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