Plant perennial, acaulescent herb growing from single carrot-shaped, tapered, coal-black tubers, 25-40 x 8-12 mm; on sectioning the tubers have a dark orange growth area. Leaf single, dying in summer, terete to subterete, stiff, succulent, erect to mildly falcate, acute with apical third curling as leaf wilts, dark shiny green, 100-110 x 3-4 mm wide; basal leaf bract triangular, transparent white, sheathing leaf base, up to 5 mm long. Peduncle ca. 110 x 1 mm wide appearing as leaf bud develops but quickly elongating and outgrowing leaf; inflorescence lax, solitary with up to 9 flowers. Pedicel ca. 5 mm, very slender with flowers facing at almost 45° upwards, basal bract narrowly triangular transparent, 1.8 mm long. Flowers strongly carnation scented. Tepals bright orange with a prominent green longitudinal vein, strongly reflexed when fully open; outer whorl narrowly elliptic, 6 x 1.8 mm, inner whorl broadly elliptic, 5 x 1.1 mm. Filaments slender, 6 mm long, bearded with finely linear acute hairs up to 1.8 mm long; outer filament with single cushion of hairs and inner filament with two cushions of hairs. Anthers rounded oblong, 0.8 x 0.4 mm, yellow, arranged horizontal to 45° to the filaments. Ovary globose, lime-green, grooved and minutely papillose, 1.3 mm in diameter. Style slender, 6 mm long; stigma minute with three rounded rugose lobes. Capsules brown, spheroidal, 3 mm; seeds seen but not recorded.
Home