Babiana rigidifolia Goldblatt & J.C.Manning

Plants 150-200 mm high, including leaves. Stem reaching up to 100 mm above ground level, ± erect, simple or 1-or 2-branched, smooth, sheathed below by dense collar of coarse fibres. Leaves sword-shaped to lanceolate, attenuate, usually exceeding spike, mostly 9-16 mm wide, pleated, softly hairy to glabrescent, apices firm and pungent, on drying veins and margins prominent and hyaline. Spike compact, several-flowered; bracts green, becoming brown at tips, minutely velvety, attenuate, outer 25-45 mm long (but lowermost often longer), lightly keeled, inner 2-keeled, slightly shorter than outer, forked apically. Flowers zygomorphic, violet, lower lateral tepals with narrow median white streak or blotch, unscented; perianth tube elongate, 45-55 mm long, slightly curved upward; tepals unequal, markedly narrowed in lower half, dorsal tepal 35-43 x 8-12 mm long, slightly longer than lower 3, lower tepals joined to upper laterals for 3-5 mm and to one another for ± 2 mm, forming a prominent lip, 27-40 x 6-10 mm. Stamens unilateral; filaments 18-20 mm long; anthers ± 8 mm long. Ovary smooth; style usually dividing opposite anther tips, branches ± 4 mm long.