Plants 50-150 mm high, including leaves. Stem ± underground, with thick collar of fibres around base, often forming tufts, simple or branched at ground level, hairy above ground. Leaves lanceolate to oblong, exceeding stem, 6-20 mm wide, usually inclined toward ground, soft-textured and lightly pleated, shortly hairy or nearly smooth, narrow and twisted in young plants. Spike congested, ± horizontal, 4-to 8-flowered; bracts green, sparsely hairy, 20-32 mm long, inner slightly shorter than outer, divided to base (rarely shortly above base), with wide transparent margins. Flowers zygomorphic, mostly pale blue to pale lilac, lower lateral tepals with broad white to cream-coloured splashes in upper half outlined in dark blue to violet, sweetly scented, often of narcissus; perianth tube narrowly funnel-shaped, 12-18 mm long; tepals unequal, dorsal 30-45 x 7-10 mm, lower tepals joined to upper laterals for up to 4 mm and to one another for ± 4 mm, forming a prominent lip, 20-30 mm long, margins of lower laterals undulate, lightly crisped in lower half. Stamens unilateral; filaments arched, 13-18 mm long; anthers 6-8 mm long; pollen white. Ovary thinly hairy above or on ribs, rarely smooth; style dividing between middle and apex of the anthers, branches 4-5 mm long, expanded at tips.
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Acaulescent, cormous geophyte, 5-9 cm, stems shorter than leaves. Leaves lanceolate, hairy, narrow and twisted when young. Flowers few on a short, erect spike, zygomorphic, pale blue to lilac with white or yellow and purple markings, fragrant, inner bracts divided to base, ovary hairy.
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