Deciduous bulbous herb, 110-200 mm tall when flowering. Bulb solitary, hypogeal, ± ovoid, 50-70 x 30-37 mm, sometimes extended into a neck up to 50 x 20 mm, inner tunics fleshy to papery, cream-coloured, outer tunics brittle, tan-coloured. Leaves 2 or 3(4), absent or emerging at flowering, prostrate, upper 2 ± opposite, lowermost 1 (when present) curved sideways, ± elliptical or strap-shaped, tapering apically, 50-140 x 22-50 mm, pale green, adaxial surface covered with micropapillae and conical macropapillae, abaxial surface smooth, margin outlined by narrow, ± impressed, smooth, cartilaginous rim. Inflorescence 6-17-flowered, a little less than hemispherical at anthesis, 80-140 mm diam., enlarging slightly in fruit up to ±200 mm diam.; scape erect, up to 120 mm long, compressed-elliptical in transverse section, ±10 x 4 mm, olive green, flushed reddish green basally; spathe valves 2, oblong-lanceolate, 35 x 15 mm, membranous, delicate pink, soon reflexed; bracteoles filiform; pedicels of outer flowers straight, those of inner flowers curved abruptly outwards immediately below ovary, 50-55 x 3-4 mm, trigonous, olive green. Perigone zygomorphic, pure white or white suffused with delicate pink, olive green to lime green in throat, dull-scented; tube 4-5 x 5 mm; tepals spreading, recurved near apex, 5 placed above horizontal plane, 1 spreading slightly downward and widely separated from others, narrowly oblong-lanceolate, 45-50 x 7-8 mm but narrowing to 3.5-4.5 mm near base, margin plane; stamens biseriate, deflexed to ±30° below horizontal plane at anthesis, upturned distally; filaments shortly fused basally, tightly clustered in lower half, without appendages near base, white but green towards base, outer ±30 mm long, inner ±50 mm long; anthers oblong, ±5 mm long before dehiscence, maroon; pollen cream-coloured. Ovary ±3-angled, ±5 x 4 mm, olive green, with 3 or 4 ovules per locule; style slender, up to 55 mm long, included in stamen cluster for ± half its length, upturned in distal quarter, extending beyond inner stamens, white; stigma shortly trifid, papillate. Capsule cordiform, ±10 x 9 mm, septa not strongly ribbed, dehiscing ± half way from apex, walls ± papery, ± translucent, without thickened cross-veining. Seeds subglobose, ±3 mm diam., fleshy.
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