Plants medium-sized, up to 0.6 m high, solitary. Roots numerous, fascicled, those immediately below stem disc swollen near base, with contractile rings, growing ± vertically downwards, more lateral roots spreading with distal swellings on wiry bases. Fibrous sheathing neck up to 50 mm high, 28 mm wide at base, fibres fine to medium coarse, ± straight, loose, untidy. Leaves 6-13, suberect to spreading, base dilated forming a complete sheath, cream-coloured with brownish veins; lamina subulate, canaliculate, size varying from up to 300 x 6 mm (outer) to up to 120 x 1 mm (innermost); margin with dense short cilia. Raceme narrowly cylindrical, dense, in flower up to 110 mm long, 20 mm wide, with 60-100 flowers, more compact in fruit, up to 95 mm long, 18 mm wide; peduncle up to 400 mm long, 3 mm in diameter; bracts 3-5 mm long, base broadly cymbiform, apex narrowly attenuate, membranous, white with a brownish midrib, margin somewhat irregularly serrate. Flowers stellate, up to 9 mm in diameter, with a strong, rather unpleasant, musty odour; pedicels 5-6 mm long. Tepals whitish with a very faint pink midrib, sometimes pinkish in bud. Filaments filiform, apiculate, 2.5 mm long, white. Ovary ovoid, 1 mm long, narrower than 1 mm, yellowish green; style 2 mm long, white. Capsule ovoid, 4-5 mm long, 3 mm wide, light greenish grey. Seed grey-black, 3.5-4.0 mm long, 1.75-3.0 mm wide, with amber-coloured membranous wing extension up to 1 mm wide all round.
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