Deciduous geophyte, (50-)100-300 mm. Corn obliquely ovoid with small, crescent-shaped basal ridge, 5-10 mm diam.; tunics dark brown, leathery. Leaves 5-8, mostly congested in a basal fan but only lowermost truly basal, narrowly lanceolate-attenuate, canaliculate, largest with blade 100-300 x 5-10 mm, stem-clasping at base, uppermost almost entirely sheathing. Inflorescence racemose or sub-spicate, 1-5-flowered, lower flowers shortly pedicellate on stout pedicels 2-10 mm long, upper flowers successively more sessile, lowermost 1 or 2 flowers only with associated bract, remainder ebracteate; bracts thread-like or awl-shaped, lowermost largest, up to 25 x 1 mm. Flowers suberect, unscented, yellow to orange flushed red on reverse with tepal claws dark maroon adaxially; tepals free, ± erect below and flaring above, oblanceolate, 15-28 x 3-5 mm, narrowed below into channelled claw 3-12 mm long, abscising after flowering. Stamens adnate to tepal claw; filaments filiform, free parts ±3 mm long, dark maroon; anthers 2-4 mm long, dorsifixed, latrorse, yellow. Ovary cylindrical and 3-lobed, 7-10 mm long, with 3 short, hooked styles ±0.5 mm long, green. Capsule septicidal, cylindrical and 3-lobed, 30-50 mm long, woody, dehiscing only in distal quarter. Seeds subglobose but angled by pressure, 1.0-1.5 mm diam., reddish brown, testa finely reticulate.
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Herb to 50 cm high. Leaf lamina expanding above sheath, then tapering to tip, channelled; lamina of lower leaves to c. 25 cm long and c. 1 cm wide, the upper ones smaller. Raceme terminal, with 1–8 flowers. Perianth segments to 20 mm long, 3 mm wide, yellow inside, orange to red outside, deciduous; claw to 5 mm long. Stamens with filaments 2–4 mm long; anthers 2–3 mm long. Ovary ±equal to stamens at anthesis; styles recurved, 0.5–1 mm long. Capsule elongating to 4 cm long and 4 mm wide. Seeds globose or angled by pressure, c. 1 mm wide.
Cormous geophyte to 25 cm. Leaves lanceolate and channelled, spirally arranged. Flowers usually pedicellate, orange, styles free, hooked.
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