Babiana tanquana J.C.Manning & Goldblatt

Plants 60-120 mm high, including leaves. Stem largely subterranean or reaching up to 100 mm above ground, smooth, simple or with 1 or 2 branches produced close to ground. Leaves ascending, blades slightly oblique to sheaths and stem, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 7-13 mm wide, shortly hairy on lamina, long-hairy on margins, rough to touch, hardly pleated but with 3 or 4 main veins. Spike decumbent or suberect, 3-to 6-flowered; bracts lightly striate, green with slender brown apices, slightly striate, lightly hairy above, outer 22-25 mm long, inner 2-5 mm longer than outer, forked apically. Flowers zygomorphic, upper tepals dark violet with pale lilac edges, lower laterals pale yellow in upper half, with acrid, spicy odour; perianth tube ± 14 mm long, slender below, curving outward and wider in upper 6 mm; tepals unequal, dorsal 25-30 mm long, arching over stamens, upper laterals joined to lower 3 for ± 4 mm, lower tepals 18-20 mm long. Stamens unilateral; filaments arched, ± 12 mm long; anthers ± 6 mm long. Ovary smooth; style arching over stamens, dividing opposite upper half of anthers, branches slender, ± 4 mm long.