Plants loosely tufted, 10–50 cm. high.. Rhizome thick, moniliform, often with fibrous remains of old leaf-bases; roots spongy and thick, sometimes reduced to sessile elongated tuber-like structures.. Leaves hysteranthous, rosulate, linear, sheathing at the base, glabrous, much shorter than the peduncle, up to 25 cm. long and 5 mm. wide; margins minutely papillate, scabrid or ciliate.. Peduncle terete, with small bract-like leaves along its entire length, breaking up on drying.. Inflorescence usually an unbranched lax raceme, sometimes with 1–3 branches at the base; floral bracts small, scarious, lanceolate to ovate, aristate.. Pedicels articulated below the middle, 10–14 mm. long in fruit, 2–4-nate at the lower nodes.. Perianth white with dull pinkish to brownish stripes on the outside; tepals 3(–5)-veined, 7–15 mm. long.. Stamens shorter than the perianth; filaments, 4–5 mm. long, glabrous, filiform; anthers up to ± the same length, often curved on drying.. Style as long as the stamens.. Capsule subglobose, trigonous, ± 5 mm. long and 4 mm. wide, shallowly transversely ridged.. Seeds irregularly folded, 2 mm. in diameter.
Home