Bobartia rufa Strid

Plants 500-900 mm high, sometimes forming clumps. Rhizome compact and corm-like, 10-16 mm diam. Stem formed by basal internode only, terete, 1-3 mm diam., with fine stomatiferous furrows. Foliage leaves 2 to 6 in a basal tuft, shorter than flowering stem, terete, resembling stem but slightly thinner. Rhipidia suberect, up to ± 50, grouped indistinctly in fascicles in a crowded, obconical, ± flat-topped head, subtended by suberect, fibrous, grey, expanded bract, following bract similar, together partially sheathing synflorescence; pedicels subglabrous; rhipidial bracts and outer spathe usually dark reddish brown, acuminate, 10-35 mm long, ± concealing inner spathe, this not or scarcely longer than the outer and straw-coloured. Flowers yellow; tepals free, elliptic, outer 15-19 x 7-9 mm, inner ± 1/2 as wide. Filaments 3.0-4.5 mm long; anthers ± 4.5 mm long. Ovary shortly exserted, smooth or rugulose; style ± 2.5 mm long, branches 4.0-5.5 mm long. Capsules exserted, obovoid, smooth or tubercled, 5-8 mm long, dark to reddish brown.