Plants 400-650 mm high. Corm depressed-globose, 30-45 mm diam.; tunics papery to fibrous. Stem unbranched. Leaves several in a basal fan, sword-shaped, medium-textured, with prominent main vein, mostly 12-20 mm wide. Spike arching outward to almost horizontal, 10-to 16-flowered, flowers borne on upper side of axis; bracts green or flushed red on margins or entirely, 8-12(-15) mm long, inner minutely forked at tip. Flowers facing to side or toward base of spike, bright orange to scarlet, tube often yellowish on underside, unscented; perianth tube trumpet-shaped, slender below for (5-)7-10(-15) mm, twisted through 360°, abruptly expanded into a wide, cylindric upper part 16-25 mm long, lightly 3-pouched at base, arching outward; tepals unequal, dorsal largest, (22-)25-35 x 7-10 mm, spathulate, spooned distally, upper and lower lateral tepals mostly 10-15 mm long, spreading or half-reflexed, lowermost smallest, directed ± forward. Filaments arching under dorsal tepal, 40-50 mm long, median one 3-4 mm longer; anthers 5-7 mm long, median reaching ± to apex of dorsal tepal, light purple; pollen purple. Style horizontal, dividing opposite upper 1/3 of anthers, often ultimately exceeding them, branches 4-5 mm long. Capsules ovoid to barrel-shaped, 3-lobed, smooth, dark red to purple-black inside on opening. Seeds up to 3 per locule, more often 1 or 2 (3 to 9 per capsule), globose, initially 6-7 mm diam., bright orange, coat fleshy and smooth, becoming wrinkled on drying and 5-6 mm diam.
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Perennial herb, geophyte, 0.25-0.60 m high; corm depressed-globose or disc-shaped, with papery or fibrous tunics; stem simple. Leaves mainly basal, ensiform, with prominent midrib. Bracts green or flushed-red; inner bidentate. Inflorescence a (sub)secund spike; flowers bright orange to scarlet; trumpet-shaped; tube truncate, 3-pouched at base, arching outwards, spirally twisted in lower 1/3; lobes unequal, spathulate, spreading or half-reflexed. Stamens inserted, one slightly longer than other two; filaments arching under dorsal tepal; anthers light blue; pollen purple. Ovary ellipsoid; style arching behind filaments, stigma minute. Flowering time May-Oct. Capsule ovoid, 3-lobed, smooth, dark red to purple-black inside.
A corm or bulb plant. It grows 40-65 cm tall. It has papery coatings over the corm. The stems are unbranched. The leaves are sword shaped. The flowers are in a spike that lies sideways.
Cormous geophyte, 40-65 cm, corm tunics papery, stems unbranched. Leaves sword-shaped. Flowers in a ± horizontal, secund spike, tube flaring abruptly and almost pouched below, orange.
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