Bulb completely subterranean, oval with a short stout neck, 15-204 cm long and 10-13 cm diam. with a brown tough tunic and a large butt at the base. Leaves (absent at time of flowering) about 12, suberect, oblong, 30-40 cm long, 5-7 cm broad, somewhat glaucous, glabrous, smooth on both surfaces, entire, thickish, closely veined, usually with a half twist near the apex. Peduncle reddish, 15-30 cm tall, 2.5-3 cm broad, flattened. Spathe-valves 2, reddish, keeled, scarious. Umbel with 14-40 flowers, averaging about 20. Pedicles reddish, glaucous, spreading, 15-20 cm long, rarely up to 30 cm in fruit, 7-10 cm thick near the base, narrowing gradually to the ovary, slightly angled. Perianth mainly deep red with small crystal-like yellow flecking, 7-8.5 cm long; tube 1.25-1.5 cm long; the lobes about 7 cm long, linear, 8-9 mm broad; the 3 inner slightly nar rower than the outer; the 3 upper curled back; the 3 lower slightly recurved; the 3 outer slightly hooded and with few hairs within the tips. Stamens shorter than the perianth, those opposite the outer perianth lobes slightly longer than the others, with bases of filaments united to perianth into a tube 1.25-1.5 cm long; anthers 1.25 cm long. Style finally slightly longer than the filaments. Ovary oblong, more or less 1.5 cm long and 1 cm broad, not strongly angled; capsule membranous, up to 3.5 cm long.
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Perennial geophyte, up to ± 0.6 m high; bulb deep-seated, tunics parchment-like. Leaves ± 18, dry at flowering, upright, up to 75 mm wide, half twisted towards apex, greyish, smooth. Flowers ± 20(-40), in a widely spreading head; perianth tube 15-25 mm long, segments 45-80 mm long, red, streaked with yellow; pedicels stout, straightening when fruiting. Flowering time Feb.-Apr. Fruit a ± cylindrical capsule.
Like B. josephinae but bulb subterranean, leaves ± 18, narrower, to 7.5 vs. 20 cm wide, ± upright, flowers mostly to 20(-40), with a longer tube, 15-25 vs. to 15 mm long.
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