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Perennial herb, geophyte, 0.10-0.15 m high. Leaves lanceolate, plicate, hispid. Bracts green with rusty, forked apex, scabrid, inner slightly shorter than outer, sometimes united basally around ovary. Inflorescence a compact spike, many-flowered; flowers violet to blue; lower tepals each with white median mark edged below in dark blue to red, or sometimes with solid red centre; perianth tube straight, slightly flaring above, hollow throughout or with thick walls below tightly enclosing style; tepals subequal, often overlapping; lower 3 tepals sometimes basally united for up to 2 mm. Stamens unilateral; filaments ± straight; anthers white to cream-coloured. Ovary smooth, shortly stipitate at base; style usually dividing between base and upper 1/3 of anthers. Flowering time May-Oct.
Stemless, cormous geophyte, 80-300 mm tall. Leaves lanceolate to linear, occasionally subterete, usually pleated, variously hairy to hispid, exceeding the flowers. Flowers 2-6 in a decumbent spike, violet to blue, with white nectar guides edged blue or red, usually intensely fragrant, perianth tube 35-65 mm long, straight, slightly flaring above, tepals subequal, (20-)30-35 mm long, ovary smooth, bracts green with rusty tips, variously hairy, lowermost outer bract often leaf-like above, inner bract forked at tip. Mainly Aug.-Sept.
Acaulescent, cormous geophyte, 5-14 cm, stem usually underground, shorter than leaves. Leaves lanceolate, hairy. Flowers zygomorphic, blue to purple with white markings, usually fragrant, tube elongate, straight, inner bracts forked apically, ovary smooth.
A bulb plant.
