Babiana stenomera Schltr.

Plants 80-120 mm high. Stem short, erect, densely hairy above, simple or with 1 or 2 short branches, sheathed below by a thick collar of fibres; cataphylls and bases of leaf sheaths evidently smooth. Leaves sword-shaped, reaching ± to top of spike, mostly 4.0-5.5 mm wide, scarcely plicate, hairless or sparsely hairy on veins and sheath margins. Spike erect, 5-to 8-flowered; bracts evidently green with brown tips, mostly 15-20 mm long, inner shortly hairy near base and on keels, divided near apex, sometimes for almost 1/3 their length. Flowers zygomorphic, blue-mauve with yellow markings on lower lateral tepals; perianth tube 12-14 mm long; tepals unequal, shortly clawed, dorsal tepal 22-24 mm long, lower tepals joined to upper laterals for ± 4 mm and to one another for ± 2 mm, ± 15 mm long. Stamens unilateral; filaments ± 15 mm long; anthers ± 6 mm long. Ovary smooth; style evidently dividing opposite middle of anthers, branches ± 4 mm long.